In 2022 we signed up to take part in Plantlife’s annual No Mow May campaign to combat a decline in global biodiversity by helping to protect pollinator habitats across the region. Our participation was so well received by park users that this year we’re trialling reduced mowing across all of the parks we care for.
What is No Mow May?
The ‘No Mow May’ campaign, which is in its fourth consecutive year, asks individuals, farmers, and organisations to not mow grass and lawns for the duration of May.
This is to allow nectar-rich wildflowers such as dandelions, daisies, and buttercups to flower in parks and on lawns and create biodiversity hotspots, ensuring bees and other pollinators have access to the pollen and nectar they need once they come out of hibernation.
How are Urban Green taking part?
Last year we embraced ‘No Mow May’ in sections of 20 of the city’s parks as part of Beelines North East. Throughout May 2023 we will be going even further by reducing mowing across all of the parks we manage.*
During the 2022 Green Flag Award visits, the judges were impressed to see the effect of our reduced mowing scheme, saying: “Continue with the exploring of new ways of looking after the landscape by using the national campaigns like No Mow May” and that “the reduced mowing regime under the trees and other areas has improved species diversity within the park.”
We will be making exceptions for the grass surrounding play areas and sports pitches, which need to be kept trimmed to enable people to use them effectively. Bowling greens that are in use by clubs will also be cut by their users to maintain a playable surface. We will also monitor all of the parks for areas where the height of the grass may cause issues for sight lines or safety.
*Due to a minor delay in the cutting schedule some of our end of April cuts will roll over to Tuesday 2 May.
How can I get involved?
We are encouraging everyone across the city to get involved in ‘No Mow May’ by leaving a small (or large) patch of their lawn for nature, and celebrating the results by sharing their photos with us online and tagging @urbangreenncl and using the hashtag #NoMowMay