A GROUP dedicated to protecting grassland meadows is celebrating winning a Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) farming award.

The Monmouthshire Meadows Group, which owns two reserves in the AONB, was delighted to receive the honour at this year’s Monmouthshire Show.

It recognises the hard work of the group in working with landowners to restore and enhance grassland meadows.

From its formation in 2003, the MMG has grown to a membership list of 200, with 80 of them owning well over 300 acres of land in the AONB, while its three reserves include Ida’s Meadow near The Narth and Wet Meadow near Trellech.

Each member is offered a visit by an MMG botanist who surveys the land, compiles a plant list and gives advice on management, sources of funding and contact details of local contractors to deal with hay-making, stone-walling and hedge-laying. The group also owns Exmoor ponies who can provide grazing where sheep are not readily available.

A spokesperson said the result of the work and support means that formerly poor land, which has often suffered from invasion of bracken, brambles and scrub has been returned to meadows rich in increasingly-rare wild flowers and associated animals and insects.

Visitors can enjoy fields full of orchids and butterflies, as well as a huge variety of other plants and creatures.

Dr Stephanie Tyler, MMG president, said: “I was delighted with the award in recognition of all the work done by volunteers to enhance our own MMG meadow nature reserves and to help MMG members to manage their own land for the benefit of biodiversity.”

Details of the MMG, their reserves and open days at various sites can be found on its website.