A thriving nature reserve in the heart of Melksham has received three prestigious awards, recognising it as a peaceful haven of nature.
Conigre Mead Nature Reserve, accessible from Sainsbury’s car park and the town cemetery, is a mix of ponds, wildflower-rich grassland and shrubs and provides local people with a natural environment to enjoy, maintained by volunteers.
Recently, the reserve was awarded the highest Level 5 Outstanding status in the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ Awards and two South West in Bloom Discretionary Special Awards – The Suttons Seed Cup for an outstanding area of nature conservation and the CPRE Environmental Award.
The volunteer team says they are ‘thrilled’ the reserve has received these accolades.
Volunteer warden and task leader for the reserve, Linda De Santiz, said, “Conigre Mead Nature Reserve has entered the RHS ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ Awards scheme in 2014, and since 2019, we have achieved Level 5 Outstanding. We were all thrilled to achieve Outstanding again this year, a testament to the hard work and dedication of our small band of volunteers.
“We were then overwhelmed to receive two South West in Bloom Discretionary Special Awards 2024. We were judged in July by Camilla Bassett-Smith as part of the South West in Bloom competition and then we came joint third for the CPRE Environmental Award. For this we have a plaque for the reserve.”
Conigre Mead was a field of rough grass until purchased by local people who set about digging ponds, clearing scrub and planting trees and wildflowers. It was given to the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust as a nature reserve in 1989.
