Jubilee Pasture
A community project to create a special place for people and wildlife
Thanks to National Lottery Players
Development 2022-2023
The initial development of Jubilee Pasture, including work funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, was managed by a core team of volunteers with representatives of Halifax Estates, Bugthorpe and Kirby Underdale Parish Council, Bugthorpe War Memorial Institute and the farm tenants of the site. The proposed developments have now all been completed and are shown on the sketch map below.
Features of Jubilee Pasture
1 Native shrubs planted 2022/3
2 Existing vegetation managed to control ‘weed’ species
3 Interpretation board
4 Stone bench to commemorate Jubilee
5 Pond created from beck
6 Ground flora in existing wooded area managed to encourage native spring flowers
7 Native broadleaf trees planted 2022 to create woodmeadow
8 Existing ‘wet meadow’ grassland enriched with meadow flowers and managed as a traditional hay meadow
A record of all the activities undertaken can be found here.
Much of the work was undertaken by members of the community who signed up as ‘Friends of Jubilee Pasture’ and turned up at volunteer sessions to plant, sow, cut and - a highlight - spread green hay to introduce locally-sourced wildflower seeds across the meadow area. Pupils and staff at Bugthorpe C of E Primary School have also made an important contribution, planting out many plants grown from locally-collected seed. The enthusiasm of these volunteers is a key part of what makes Jubilee Pasture special.
We have also benefited greatly from the generosity of parish residents who used their expertise and equipment to undertake specialist tasks. For example, cutting the hay meadow, erecting owl and bat boxes, creating and installing an inscribed bench from reclaimed stone, designing an interpretation board with a painted panoramic view of the landscape, transporting hay bales and positioning large stones around the pond. The project would not have been successful without their contributions. We are very grateful to a local farmer and meadow-enthusiast who provided green hay from his meadow, which was in turn grown from seed in hay from the ancient meadow at Bishop Wilton Poor Land. This was an invaluable source of seeds to enrich the existing wildflowers at Jubilee Pasture.
Employees of Halifax Estates have also played an invaluable role, bringing their own skills to various tasks. The project as a whole has been underpinned by support from Halifax Estates, which is much appreciated.
A document was drawn up to serve as a reference for everyone involved with the project. This summarised the existing features of the site, listed the aims of the project, described the developments which would take place and indicated ongoing management requirements. The final version of the document, which was updated for the last time in October 2023, can be downloaded here (pdf, 9 pages).
Beyond 2023
Although the Jubilee year was a key year for this project, it will continue for many years to come. There will be ongoing maintenance, such as traditional hay meadow management of the grassland, and people will have new ideas for how to enhance the wildlife and community value of the site. It will take many years for the wildflower meadow to enrich and, with the new trees, to develop into a woodmeadow. We hope this is just the start of something with ever-increasing value.
The Parish Council has responsibility for ensuring ongoing management to fulfil Jubilee Pasture’s aims. However, day-to-day management needs will be identified by the core team of volunteers, who will also continue to arrange volunteer sessions for ‘Friends of Jubilee Pasture’. When volunteer activities have been planned, notices will be put up on the boards in Bugthorpe and Kirby Underdale. To receive emails about planned activities, please contact Janet at bugthorpevillage@gmail.com.
