At one of the new wildflower meadows in Kelsale, near Saxmundham, were, from left, Flagship neighbourhood operations manager Ryan Cox and gardening team members Jamie Davies, Gary Baggott and Rebeka Smith.

Dozens more wildflower meadows will sprout this summer in a housing provider’s mission to create more than 1,000 across the east of England.

Flagship has lined up nearly 130 new sites in towns and villages including North Walsham, Stowmarket, Leiston and Sudbury for the next phase of its meadows programme. The scheme now covers around 250 locations, with new sites added each year until at least 2030.

Daniel Salliss, Flagship’s biodiversity and land manager, said the project was picking up pace.

Mr Salliss said: “There’s always a balance to strike. Some spaces still need short grass for football or picnics, that’s great as we want people to use their local green spaces.

“But where we can let things grow, we’re finding it brings real benefits not just for wildlife, which is really struggling across the country, but for how people feel about their green spaces.”

 Flagship gardener Gary Baggott cuts a path through the meadow, off West View in Kelsale.

Wildflower meadows support insects, birds and small mammals. Mr Salliss said they were also better at soaking up water, which can reduce the risk of flooding. In the programme, the sites will be left to grow until the end of summer, when they will be cut short. They will be cut again in autumn, and wildflower seeds will be sown in many areas for future seasons.

Each of the sites will be marked with a sign, which features a QR code link with more information about the meadows and their benefits.  The scheme was awarded the inaugural ‘biodiversity recognition plaque’ from Cromer Green Spaces last year, and it has been named as a finalist in the national Unlock Net Zero Awards, with winners to be revealed in Manchester in June. 

Among those caring for the meadows is Flagship neighbourhood gardener Gary Baggott, from Ufford.
Mr Baggott said: “It’s very rewarding to see the development of the meadows. It’s going to be interesting to see the different wildflowers come up. We’re also responding to what locals want and create pathways and other mown areas to suit them.”

Flagship owns around 1,200 green communal spaces across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. It merged with another housing provider, Bromford, in February, to become Bromford Flagship.

Anyone who wants to make suggestions or work with Flagship on the scheme can email biodiversity@flagship-housing.co.uk.