Do you remember meadows rich in wildflowers, butterflies and bees? There are still plenty of people who are working hard to ensure they continue to thrive.

You can find out more about it at a public meeting to be held at Westbury Parish Hall on Wednesday, January 25 at 7.30pm.

The Forest of Dean is mainly known for its woodlands but there are plenty of meadows.

On the fringes of the Forest especially there are many houses that have some orchard or grassland which could be managed as meadows.

There are already active groups of meadow owners on both sides of the Wye Valley – the Parish Grasslands Project at St Briavels, Hewelsfield and Brockweir has about 80 members as does the Monmouthshire Meadows Group.

But no group exists for the whole of the Dean and it has been suggested that such a group should be set up in 2012.

The group wants to discover where the meadows exist around the Dean and bring together owners and enthusiasts to encourage wildlife-friendly meadow management including traditional hay making and animal grazing .

The flowers in hay meadows will only survive if they are left to seed and hay is usually cut no earlier than mid July, after that the grass can be used for sheep or cattle grazing. On a smaller scale if you leave your patch of orchard or lawn as a meadow you can cut it with a mower or strimmer after you have enjoyed the show of flowers.

Traditional meadows usually become rich in plant species such as orchids or bird's foot trefoil or cowslips as well as many different grasses. They are also good for birds, butterflies, bees, many other insects and for fungi.

Anyone interested is welcome to come along and help get the group under way. While there is a core of enthusiasts, new people can help decide how the group develops and what the future projects could be.

The meeting will be chaired by Dr Chris Parsons who has meadows in Flaxley, and there will be presentations from George Peterken of the Parish Grasslands Project, Stephanie Tyler from Monmouthshire Meadows Group and by Gloucestershire Wild­life Trust.

The hall is near the rugby ground at the junction of Rodley Road and the A48, there is plenty of parking and entry is free.