Let it grow for summer

Posted on: Thursday 4 May 2023

Residents are being urged to support No Mow May, which encourages people to leave their lawns uncut this month to support local biodiversity and help tackle climate change.

Or you could go further and support Torfaen Council’s sustainable summer programme, which means areas of grasslands are left to grow and pollinate until the autumn. 

Councillor Mandy Owen, Executive Member for the Environment, said: “Allowing wildflowers in lawns to grow in early summer is great for pollinators, other wildlife and it increases plant diversity, which helps to remove carbon from the atmosphere – a key part of reducing climate change.

“But wildflowers continue flowering all summer, so if you can leave smaller areas uncut for longer you will also be helping to create wildlife corridors. These allow animals and insects to move around and promote habitat connectivity.”

Thanks to the Welsh Government funded Local Places for Nature programme, specialist cut and collect equipment was funded to allow grassland areas to be managed sustainably.

The council introduced its sustainable summer programme in 2014. Since then, mowing has been reduced in more than 120 areas across the borough, including some road verges and roundabouts.

Earlier this year, cabinet members backed a plan to add another 51 new areas over the next two years.

According to Plantlife, the UK has lost 97 per cent of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s. More than 700 species of wildflowers grow on roadside verges, accounting for nearly 45 per cent of the UK’s total plant diversity.  

To get involved in the No Mow May campaign, register on the Plantlife website and leave your lawn uncut throughout May.

You can also take additional steps to support biodiversity, such as planting native plants. These small actions can have a big impact on the environment and help to promote a healthier and more sustainable community.

For more information about the "No Mow May" campaign please visit https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/

To find out how the Council manages its grass cutting throughout the borough visit https://www.torfaen.gov.uk/en/RoadsTravelParking/StreetCareandCleaning/Grasscutting/Grass-Cutting.aspx

Reducing climate change is part of the Council’s County Plan, and reducing grass cutting contributes towards the Council’s Climate and Nature Emergency declaration.

Last Modified: 05/05/2023 Back to top