Spring is in the air and a new community group in Llanberis, Friends of Cae’r Ddôl, have secured an award from Grow Wild (supported by the Big Lottery Fund and led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) to nurture a native wildflower meadow on the shores of Llyn Padarn.

The project will help the area of grassland in Llanberis known as Cae’r Ddôl, blossom into a vibrant native wildflower meadow, where both visitors and locals can learn, contemplate and relax surrounded by flowers.

Following a reduction in grazing, this field is beginning to show signs of the diverse and beautiful wildflower meadow it could become. The Friends of Cae’r Ddôl, a group of local people who regularly walk through this area, are proposing to work with Gwynedd Council in order to ensure that the flowers can flourish, and work their magic particularly on young people who walk through the area, but might not look down at the flowers growing all around them.

The Friends of Cae’r Ddôl will be working in partnership with the landowner, Gwynedd Council. Through the project, which will run through the summer of 2016, there will be opportunities for locals and visitors to learn about and nurture the plants beneath their feet through art, science and social events, as well as interpretation boards designed by a local artist to help people put a name to the flowers.

One of the founding members of the Friends of Cae’r Ddôl, professional botanist, Robbie Blackhall- Miles said “I am so pleased that all this is happening. The water meadows at the end of Llyn Padarn are very special. When I saw the first wild orchids growing there I knew someone had to pay them a bit more attention.”