Have you heard the buzz about York’s meadows? If not, you soon will as a new project has been launched to transform an area 50 times the size of York Minster’s nave, into vibrant meadows buzzing with wildlife and rich with colourful wildflowers that both people and pollinators can enjoy.

York’s Buzzing, the brainchild of environmental charity Buglife in partnership with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, City of York Council and York Friends of the Earth, is restoring 7.4 hectares of wildflower meadows at eight sites across the city, including the Bar Walls, parts of West Bank Park and Monk Stray and around the Millennium Bridge.

Since the 1940s, large-scale changes in land use have resulted in a 97 per cent loss of wildflower-rich meadows across the UK. This exciting York-wide project will help to reverse the loss of this precious habitat which has contributed to a decline in over two thirds of UK pollinators, including many species of butterfly, moth, hoverfly and bumblebee.

Councillor Sonja Crisp, City of York Council’s cabinet member for leisure, culture and tourism, said: ‘This is a fantastic project which builds on our commitment to further improve our parks and open spaces by supporting pollinators with a greater diversity of wildflowers.’

Speaking on behalf of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, conservation officer Sara Robin, said: ‘We are thrilled to be part of this wonderful project that will see beautiful wildflower meadows planted across the city of York.’

These buzzing meadows will be a beautiful asset to the city for everyone to use and enjoy. Buglife and its partners want as many people in York as possible to get involved in supporting and creating them. If you live in York and would like to get involved please email info@buglife.org.uk to register your interest.

Buglife has so far raised £20,000 to get the project off the ground but more is needed from the people of York and local businesses to complete the transformation.

Vicky Kindemba, conservation delivery manager for Buglife, said: ‘This is a great project for the city and we hope that local residents, visitors and businesses will engage with it and also help with our fundraising.’

If you would like to support York’s Buzzing, visit buglife.org.uk/help-us-get-york-buzzing or call Buglife on 01733 201210.