National Meadows Day to be celebrated at Langley Mead

Members of the local community, and beyond, are invited to celebrate National Meadows Day at Langley Mead nature reserve in Shinfield on Saturday 1 July.

National Meadows Day is an annual celebration of the beautiful wildflower meadows found throughout the UK.  An open event is being held at Langley Mead, which is owned and managed by the University of Reading, between 10am and 4pm. 

Visitors will get the chance to learn more about the restoration of the reserve, which is open to the public throughout the year, to a traditional floodplain meadow.

Langley Mead

Langley Mead is 18 hectares of countryside along the banks of the River Loddon, with a series of walking loops, wildlife habitats and areas of natural beauty. It is part of an ongoing project aimed at restoring agricultural land back into habitats for wildlife and plants.

Working closely with ecological planning consultancy, EPR Ltd, the University has used traditional management practices such as creating wildflower meadows, planting hedgerows and creating wetland features to successfully encourage greater biodiversity and environmental conservation.

Parts of the land are seasonally grazed by traditional cattle and a series of bird and bat boxes have been installed – including one for the resident barn owls. 

Professor Mark Fellowes, Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Reading and ecologist, said: “National Meadows Day is about celebrating wildflower meadows across the UK. I am so pleased that the University of Reading is able to offer this beautiful green space to the local community, not just on National Meadows Day, but throughout the year.

“We hope lots of people can join us on Saturday 1^st July as we provide some guided walks through the nature reserve, explaining more about the plants and wildlife found there, the traditional management practices we use and our plans for the future.”

Event details

Visitors will have the chance to attend a series of three guided walks over the course of the day. There will also be a stall with information and self-guided walks of the open space, with wildlife spotter sheets for keen-eyed children (and adults!). 

Guided walks: 

10am – Meet our Bovine Buddies (family-friendly) 

1pm – Wild about Flora & Fauna 

3pm – The Langley Mead Extension

No need to book ahead.

Langley Mead is located off the B3349 Hyde End Road, south of the village of Shinfield and to the East of Spencers Wood. 

Find out more about Langley Mead.