Volunteers Sow the Seeds of Nature Recovery at Wittenham Clumps
Earth Trust staff and volunteers have recently taken a powerful step toward restoring one of Oxfordshire’s rarest and most valuable habitats — chalk grassland — by sowing wildflower seed by hand at the base of the iconic Wittenham Clumps.
Over two days (24th and 25th April), Bessie’s Field, a stretch of former arable land next to the Iron Age hillfort at Castle Hill, became the focus of a nature recovery effort rooted in tradition. Volunteers gathered to broadcast wild seed by hand, just as medieval farmers once did, helping to re-establish a habitat rich in biodiversity, colour and life.
“Chalk grassland is one of the UK’s most threatened habitats. Bringing it back here, in full view of our community, is about restoring nature, reconnecting people with place, and demonstrating how we can farm and care for land differently,” said Simon Atkinson, Director of Land Management at Earth Trust.
The activity is part of Partnerships for Nature, a £1.5 million landscape-scale recovery project led by North Wessex Downs National Landscape, and supported by the Species Survival Fund, a partnership between Defra and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The newly sown area spans 10 hectares (24 acres) and will link with existing footpaths to create even more high-value, accessible green space for local communities to explore and enjoy. In the years ahead, this site will be transformed into a flower-rich mosaic alive with pollinators, birds, and rare plants, enhancing the natural beauty and ecological value of the Earth Trust landscape.
The seed — a mix collected from ancient, species-rich chalk grasslands in the Cotswolds — includes rarities like squinancywort, tor-grass, common rock-rose and horseshoe vetch. The sowing was supported by partners from Cotswolds National Landscape, who supplied the seed and joined volunteers in the field.
As well as restoring habitat, the project is designed to restore the historic open landscape and setting of Castle Hill, reconnecting the present day with a landscape that has supported people and nature for centuries.
This chalk grassland creation is just one of several interventions Earth Trust is delivering through Partnerships for Nature — a programme that combines traditional land management knowledge with innovative ecological farming practices to halt and reverse species decline in the region.
To learn more about our Species Survival Fund work and how you can get involved, visit:
👉 earthtrust.org.uk/what_we_do/species-recovery-regenerative-farming-cultivating-a-future-for-nature