Green Hustle are at it again transforming Nottingham parks into wildlife (and human) oases - this time they're working with E.ON, My Square Meter, and Nottingham City Council to rejuvenate a massive meadow in Aspley.
Nottingham will see “the rejuvenation of one of the city’s largest man-made wildflower meadows in a residential area”, according to Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, in what local organisers are calling ‘The Really Big Wildflower Meadow Project’.
A previously grass-dominated meadow is getting a facelift thanks to a collaboration between E.ON, Green Hustle, and local wildflower meadow and carbon offsetting experts My Square Metre, planting flowery seeds of hope for 2026...
E.ON will fund the meadow, working in partnership with local community interest company Green Hustle, Nottinghamshire-based meadow creation experts My Square Meter, and Nottingham City Council’s Parks and Open Spaces team. The City’s Parks and Open Spaces team will then keep the meadow in good health going forwards.
The wildflower meadow will cover a 1.62 acre (6,750m2) plot on King George V Playing Fields in Aspley, where Green Hustle have led the creation of ‘Aspley People’s Forest’ in consultation with the local community, and engaging local schools and businesses.
Green Hustle volunteers planted over 4,000 new trees in February 2025 with funding from national charity Trees for Cities. These include a wide variety of native tree ‘whips’ (baby trees) and an expanded community orchard where more fruit tree ‘standards’ (more mature young trees) were planted. These efforts build on previous tree planting work led by the City Parks team’s ‘Green Guardian’ volunteers, and spaces being maintained for nature-friendliness.
“In nine months we have already seen, to my eyes, a dramatic increase in the variety of birds and insects using the space”, says Adam Pickering, Co-Director of Green Hustle and project lead.
“When we first visited there were few signs of wildlife, and a lot more litter than there is now – it only takes a bit of love being put into a space, and a small number of dedicated local volunteers, to make a big difference”.
“Now, thanks to E.ON’s investment in this vital community green space, this huge wildflower meadow can bring even more life, nature-benefit and interesting walking routes for local people. There will still be plenty of playing field space left too”.
Every 40 square metres will support enough insects to feed a family of small birds, meaning about 170 bird families can depend on the meadow as a living larder.
My Square Metre will plant and maintain the site for the first two years, and Nottingham City Council’s Parks and Open Spaces team will then keep the meadow in good health going forwards. It is a low intervention plan, involving mowing the meadow once a year when the meadow has gone to seed for the winter.
Edward Crowther, Founder of My Square Metre explained the nature benefits of the project. “We are transforming 6,750 square metres of land into a permanent wildflower meadow, planting more than 3.3 million blooms. With around 36 wildflowers needed to sustain a single bee on a typical day, the meadow will support nectar for roughly 100,000 bees at any given time between April and October.
“It also creates space and nectar for around 500 butterflies. Every 40 square metres will support enough insects to feed a family of small birds, meaning about 170 bird families can depend on the meadow as a living larder. As the habitat matures, its deep roots and plant diversity will improve soil structure, store more carbon in the ground, and help the land hold water, leaving the site richer and more resilient year after year.”
Amy Holbrook, Social Value Manager at E.ON adds: "In my role as Social Value Manager, I’m focused on understanding how we can best support the people of Nottingham to embrace environmental initiatives as we move towards decarbonisation. In a recent study E.ON conducted via Commonplace, nearly a quarter of respondents highlighted a desire for more green spaces and greater biodiversity.
“Drawing on Green Hustle’s local expertise, we felt it was important to expand our support of the CIC to create a biodiversity corridor in the city, further supporting their work in place-based environmental wellbeing. I see this project as not only support local wildlife but also providing a new green space for people to explore, and it’s so big that it’s visible from high above Nottingham – which is pretty exciting!"
Cllr Corall Jenkins, Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, Waste and Equalities said "We’re thrilled to be part of The Really Big Wildflower Meadow Project as we recognise how important this work is for our biodiversity goals. A huge thank you to E.ON for supporting and funding, and to Green Hustle and My Square Metre for coordinating everything so we could deliver this really big wildflower meadow project.”
"Given that the loss of wildflower meadows across the county over the past 100 years stands at between 97 and 99%, every meadow is vital for wildlife and people", Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust added.
Organisers say there will be lots of opportunities for the local community to get involved in the spring through creative and educational workshops, with bespoke events for local schools.
Follow @greenhustlefest on social media to follow the meadow’s development.
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