glebe meadows

glebe meadows – a legacy to the village

In the late 1990s the government introduced the Greensites Programme. The idea was to finance some enhancements in communities that had been scarred by quarrying and landfilling. The Hertfordshire Groundwork Trust were contracted to bring some community led improvements to Arlesey by way of a partnership. This was made up of Shanks & McEwan, Mid-Beds Council, The Ivel and Ouse Countryside Project and many local organisations and individuals. Subsequently a hedge was planted around the playing field and The Green opposite Edgworth House was landscaped. The Project also paid for a master hedgelayer to teach members of Arlesey Conservation for Nature (ACORN) this ancient skill on a hedge at the Old Moat Nature Reserve. Around this time the Glebe Meadows adjoining the Old Moat came up for sale with an asking price of £50,000. It had always been a bit of a dream for volunteers working at the Old Moat to acquire the meadows to enlarge the nature reserve.

Joel Carre’, project officer of the Ivel & Ouse Countryside Project thought that the community should ‘go for it’ and purchase the meadows. It would be an ideal project to mark the millennium and that ACORN should take the lead in this. Funding was available from the Millennium Commission’s Millennium Green Project which was set up by the Countryside Commission in 1996 for communities to mark the millennium by creating new village greens using National Lottery money. This ran until 2001. There are 245 millennium greens in England. However, this was not to be as in the interim of filling in the myriads of forms the Meadows had acquired a ‘SOLD’ sign. But, a year later the story really begins.

Approaches were made directly to the landowners on this occasion as it had transpired that the estate agent had not made their client aware of ACORN’s previous offer. The agent had thought the group not to be a serious bidder. The group assured them that they would match the current offer of £40,000 that was already on the table on condition that they would take the meadows of the market. ACORN explained that it would probably take a year to be able to complete and the owners, a local family, were happy with that and that the meadows would remain in local ownership and be preserved in perpetuity.

The first step was to get a valuation on the meadows by the District Valuation Office. Arlesey Town Council was approached and agreed to have this done. Only public bodies can commission them. The valuation fell short of the asking price by £5,000. Grants from public funds can only be to the value of any valuation or less.

This shortfall would have to be met from the private sector but the development costs such as putting in fencing, kissing gates and bridges could be met from the public purse. ACORN needed £45,580 to do all this.

The landfill tax credits scheme had just been set up by the government and a bid was made to EB Bedfordshire, the administrators of the scheme for Bedfordshire. Another bid was made to Mid Beds District Council for a Community Grant who awarded ACORN £22,790 towards the purchase and development costs. Every house received a flyer seeking donations to help make up the shortfall. An ACORN member on enquiring how the fundraising was going found that the group had a shortfall of £3,000. They made an interest free loan so that contracts could be exchanged with immediate effect. As things progressed the diffidence encountered at the start of the project and the realisation ‘Arlesey had purchased a meadow to mark the Millennium’, attitudes changed. Arlesey Town Council held a Millennium Concert in the village hall and donated the £1000 profits to the project. Apple the local amateur thespians donated £500 from their January 1999 Panto “Puss in Boots”. Puss (Gail Evans) even delivered the cheque in person. The Wildlife Trust organised a DEFRA Countryside Stewardship bid for capital and annual maintenance grants. ACORN members even found time to raise funds (£500) by laying a hedge for Northill Parish Council during the winter months.

While all the fundraising was going on thoughts about for the future management of the site were being planned. ACORN and the Ivel & Ouse Countryside Project were unable to hold the ‘title’ to the land as neither were registered charities or registered businesses. Both the Wildlife Trust and Arlesey Town Council were approached with a view to looking after the land in perpetuity for the community. The Wildlife Trust eventually agreed on the condition that the Trust would incur no costs in doing so.

APPLE Donation

Gail Evans and Alan Sills hand over a cheque for £500 to Geoff Page and Vic Williams
Photo: From a clipping in the Biggleswda Chronicle

The Stables in 1998

The stables stood right next to the river just south of the old bridge. Photo: Geoff Page

On 4 March 1999 the meadows became the community’s but the title was registered with the Land Registry in the name of the Wildlife Trust. Previously the land had been owned by Ron Chadwick, a former local publican, who had purchased it from the church on 1 September 1980. The land had been in continual ecclesiastical ownership since 1086, although several changes between Catholic and Protestant had occurred in the interim.

Much work was now needed in demolishing the derelict stables and clearing the old shelters from the site. Shanks & McEwan came to the rescue by providing some massive rubbish skips for free, but ACORN had to pay the landfill tax for each one used. Three skips were eventually used. The mass of nettles along the riverbank were tackled by constant mowing and raking off. A local farmer managed a hay cut or two but found he could not bring his bailer in through the much restricted entrance. Early help came from many different directions but work carried out by the Bedfordshire Probation Service Community Service Unit proved invaluable. Young men sentenced to undertake community service spent a year working on the site and installed the sleeper bridges and constructed an artificial otter holt on Crow Island. The team work they showed in getting the large logs across the river was outstanding. They spent every Sunday during the summer clearing rubbish. One young man who was always keen to get wet volunteered to clear the river and was eventually christened ‘Swampy’. Most were from the local towns and the excitement of seeing their first lizard was memorable. The scheme was beneficial to both parties involved and the ‘lads’ had a sense of pride in what they had achieved. The success was such that a visit was made by a Home Office representative who carried out interviews with all those involved. While on the subject of conscripts we should not forget those others that voluntarily just turned up to lend a hand. John Rogers volunteered to become the first volunteer warden of the meadows or rather said he wouldn’t mind giving it a go. John enjoyed the job so much that he ‘had a go at it’ for the next ten years. During that time John and wife Lucy could be found with mowers and strimmers working at the meadows. They only gave up their voluntary work last year. Fortunately Karl Giffiths came along just in time to take over as warden and Roger Watson, also warden at the Old Moat, became his assistant. We have John and Lucy to thank for much of how you see the meadows today. Not forgetting many others who also gave them a hand from time to time, including 1st Arlesey Scouts. Andy Fleckney, assistant reserves manager from the Wildlife Trust oversees the grazing and also any work that needs professionals to do such as pollarding the riverside willows.

While all the work in the meadows was in progress agreements were being drawn up by ACORN, Arlesey Town Council, The Wildlife Trust and the Ivel and Ouse Countryside Project. This was necessary to set the protocols to look after the meadows in perpetuity. It was agreed to set up a management partnership to look after the day to day management of the site. This was made up of representatives from each group. The I&OCP were wound up a few year ago and their work has been taken over by the Beds Rural Communities Charities (BRCC). As no funding is available to pay for an officer of the BRCC to help they have now left the management group. The Wildlife Trust’s time is paid for under a S137 agreement with Arlesey Town Council. Geoff Page has also recently retired from the management group as the ACORN representative. Geoff worked on the project from its inception and with Joel Carre’s help attained the grant funding to finance the project. He also took on the role as administrator to the partnership. Vikki Draper has now taken over this role and is the new volunteer administrator and chairman of the partnership.

On Friday 16 June 2000 a pre-launch reception was held for all the main sponsors in the meadows. The thank yous were said and following a short walk round the meadows a buffet lunch followed.

Jim Bowskill the former founder chairman of ACORN was invited to officially open the meadows to the public on the following Saturday. Jim together with fellow members of Buskers in Beds folk band also entertained the visitors on what was a rather sunny pleasant afternoon. Many of the band were former members of ACORN and could be seen out planting and hedge-laying. Although they have moved on they have always had an affinity with the group and travel many miles to come back and entertain at do’s at the meadows.

Buskers in Beds

Buskers in Beds entertained on the day. Photo: Geoff Page

The first cattle to graze at the meadow in 2001

The first cattle to graze in the meadow in 2001. Photo: Geoff Page

Disaster struck the year after opening when the ‘foot and mouth’ epidemic took hold throughout the country and the meadows had to be closed to the public. However, the Arlesey WI did manage to plant a commerative ‘Millennium Oak’ in the south meadow after thoroughly disinfecting themselves on entering and exiting the meadows. Fortunately no cattle were on site when the order came in so all the associated problems this would have caused were avoided. When the meadows finally reopened needless to say the paths had disappeared as did the Wildlife Trust’s Landrover in the undergrowth on the return visit. Once again warden John Rogers set about taming the undergrowth and with the trusty Allen Scythe John’s progress could be followed by the plume of the two-stroke smoke. Shortly after re-opening, more restrictions with access came with the construction of the new bridge over the railway. To celebrate the opening of the A507 bridge and also the ACORN/P3 easy access path to the Mill Pits, ACORN organised a bit of a do with a ‘Scarecrow Festival’ at the Glebe Meadows. The group laid on a brass band, marquee and refreshments for the guests of Bedfordshire County Council and ACORN. Buskers in Beds also turned up to entertain the crowds and Beatrix Potter (Gail Evans) was on hand to tell stories to the little ones. On the following Sunday the Church took the opportunity to hold a riverside service in the marquee.

WI Milennium Tree

The Millennium Oak planted by Arlesey W.I. in 2001. Photo: Steve Maddox

Conservation work carries on unabated and as well as the WI Oak, a Black Poplar was planted in the meadow as a species under threat from dying out. Rustic seats have been strategically placed and a Wych Elm and a Crab Apple have been planted in the boundary hedge in remembrance to two stalwarts of ACORN fund raising effort John Billows and his mother Lilian. Karl and Roger have recently continued with extending the hedge along the first meadow with whips supplied by Arlesey Town Council. Red Poll cows are now brought in to give the grass an annual graze as part of the Natural England Stewardship. The hard efforts of the group were recognised in June 2004 when Dr David Bellamy paid a visit which also co-insided with the biggest flush of bee-orchids ever seen at the meadows. Dr Bellamy remarked that he was on the Plantlife Panel that selected the bee-orchid as the embolic flower for Bedfordshire.

David Bellamy

Dr. David Bellamy visits the meadow. Also in the picture Geoff Page, Katie Juffs and Brian Juffs. Photo: Tony Margiocchi

A small celebration was held to mark the first ten years of ownership of the meadows. A BBQ was held and Buskers in Beds entertained the visitors. So what of the next ten years? New faces are beginning to appear but the ethos of the meadows will remain: Traditionally managed riverside meadows for the quiet recreation of the public and for wildlife in perpetuity. A legacy for the village.

Sign

Wildlife Trust

Glebe Meadows