The picture above is of the field Winter Meadow when it had been cut for haymaking in 2016. Since then it and the other fields of Rye Meadows have been cut annually until some three years ago when the weather intervened and the ground became too soft for the heavy tractor and mower attachment.

Last year was a strange year as the fields were in the throes of a change of ownership and the key dates of late September/early October was again missed. We have to avoid the time when there may still be ground nesting birds, but before the time when the grounds become 'wetlands' again. It is often a very short window and we rely on the services of a local farmer who of course has his own land to manage.

This year we'd hoped to be able to cut the fields but circumstances again conspired for this not to happen, but Surrey Wildlife Trust have assured us that they will be cut in 2026 unless their plans for grazing cattle come to fruition.

We must apologise to our neighbours to whom we'd promised the fields would be cut this year, but this really was out of our control.