Shires have been assisting a project to rewild Wandsworth in ambition to recover nature in London. On 17 and 18 May, horses Joey and William attended the site to carry out the first stage of their work pulling mowers and harrows across the land.
The sessions were run by Enable and Wandsworth Council in collaboration with Operation Centaur, a working horses group who keep the art of working with rare breed heavy horses alive, through estate conservation, heritage, community projects and equine therapy.
The session was attended by local school Southfields Academy, with nearly 40 students being able to come along and see the horses in action.
The Rewild London project seeks to improve the biodiversity value of King George’s Park through the creation and development of biodiversity rich habitats. This includes wildflower rich neutral grasslands, woodland copses and scrub, including dead wood.
The horses’ work will reduce the nutrients in the existing grassland, plus their hooves will make gaps in the grass to allow wildflower seed to establish more efficiently.
A total of £600,000 has been granted via the Rewild London Fund to 19 projects across London that will help to rewild the city and recover nature. The 19 rewilding projects across the city will enhance and connect 54 of London’s most important places for wildlife – called Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation – and create more natural habitats for plants and animals to thrive.
“The Rewild London Scheme as a whole, and this exciting rewilding component in Wandsworth both have great potential to improve access to nature across the capital. Enable are thrilled to be part of the scheme, and will continue to publicly share updates as the project progresses,” said a spokesman for the not-for-profit organisation.
