Eight men went to mow...

There have been some wonderful sights in the meadow at the south end of the Millennium Wood this year: the beautiful Greater Butterfly orchid, flourishing yellow rattle - and on Saturday, a party of scything apprentices, perfecting their swishing technique.

It has been a long held dream of the Greener Padbury Group to master the art of scything to help us manage grassy habitats, enabling wild flowers and invertebrates to flourish. On Saturday, we were joined by Clive Leeke of Hedgecraft who delivered a masterclass in this ancient craft - and we have since purchased scythes so are ready to go!

So, why scythe?

No plastic waste - think of all those plastic ends flying off strimmers

No emissions - no fossil fuels burned in order to power

No running costs - just pick up and go

No breaking down - sparing you the inevitable dismay when it won't start after a winter in the shed, or it protests at the length of the grass

No replacements required - your scythe will outlive you

No tree damage - strimmers cause more harm to tree trunks than grey squirrels

No lugging machinery up to the top of the wood - with a simple scythe, cutting grass can be done quickly, efficiently, and sustainably.

But crucially, there is no horrible sound. The noise from a strimmer, mechanical and high-pitched, is hugely disorientating for wildlife; a swish from a scythe is sufficient warning to move out of the way, but the strimming sound leads to panic over which way to flee - and so they freeze.

It's not just toads and hedgehogs and field mice that appreciate the gentle swooshing sound, but the workers too. Managing a meadow with a scythe is companionable and peaceful, even allowing space for song: 'Eight men (well, three men and five women) went to mow, went to mow a meadow...'