By George Palmer-Soady
A former Nottinghamshire mine has been turned into a community garden for insects and plants after a family bought the land and worked to return it to nature in their spare time.
Rachel Gravett and Keith Harrison bought the nine-and-a-half acre Long Meadow field in 2021 and it has served various purposes over the years.
More than 50 years ago, the land in Strelley Village in Broxtowe was an open-cast mine – a surface mine where minerals are extracted from a large pit dug into the ground.
Land containing soil, bacteria, worms, fungi and microorganisms – which insects and plants rely on to grow – was dug into as part of the open-cast mining process.
The mine later shut down in the 1960s when all coal had been exhausted, and then became a hay field for horses. But as topsoil on land can take up to 500 years to fully develop naturally, Rachel says insects had vanished from the area.
This meant dangerous chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides were being used on the land – making the field even more unfriendly for wildlife.
In 2021, Rachel and Keith – who previously owned the Nottingham Climbing Centre in Basford – bought the site with the hopes of creating a community garden for insects and plants, rather than focusing the project on being something humans enjoy.
With help from the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, trees and saplings were grown and ponds were built to encourage local habitats to thrive.
Rachel says she has a lifelong passion for nature and was previously a biology teacher before buying the field – which they aptly named ‘The Field’.
“We wanted to take the land back to nature and try and reverse the decline in wildlife a tiny bit,” she said.
“I’ve always wanted to see a bit more wildlife and when you’re as old as I am, you have seen it decline over the years.
“People love being outside in nature and it’s about getting people involved.”
Volunteer sessions have been held with groups invited to give a helping hand at the field, growing fruit, vegetables and flowers but also socialising and discussing the land’s history.
Rachel and Keith’s son Matty Harrison began helping with the running of a field around a year ago.
He works part time as a receptionist at Nottingham City Hospital and says he has “been hooked ever since” joining his parents.
“My parents would pressure me into helping them and I’ll admit at first I was a little bit unwilling,” he said.
“But it was quite a surprise to me – the feeling I have when I’m here is amazing.
“Being with nature and feeling that you’re doing something positive with the environment – you appreciate its value.
“When I was a kid, I think at times I was a bit embarrassed when I’d see my mum doing stuff like diving into bins to pull out recyclables.
“But now, I’m so glad the groundwork has been set for me to be involved in a project like this which they started. I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
Matty says that at the moment the family are working to make the place more welcoming. With the support of a National Lottery grant, they hope to start building a community garden.
“We want to create a place where everyone’s welcome and they can enjoy nature. A space for people to do whatever they want.”
