Stourvale Action for
the Environment (SAFE)

Cornmill Meadows

The site consists of two meadows, just under 2 hectares in area, bordered by the river Stour, and drained by Pig Brook. Field boundaries are much the same as the time of the Domesday Book and until recently the land was used as traditional grazing land for sheep and cattle with the grass being cut for hay. There is evidence of medieval ridge and furrow agriculture. Now the site is cut annually to encourage wildflowers, hedges are being managed to restore them as havens for wildlife and there is a recently planted community orchard.

Ecological surveys have identified a variety of meadow grasses including False Oatgrass, Cocksfoot and Yorkshire Fog. Wildflowers include Meadow Buttercup, Red Clover, Ladies Smock, and bird’s foot trefoil amongst many others. In 2025, a total of 42 different bird species were observed including raptors, songbirds, and a Common Kingfisher on the river.

The historic boundary hedges contain a range of trees and shrubs, including Common and Midland Hawthorne and pollarded Crack Willow along the riverbanks, with a range of flowering plants underneath them, including Meadowsweet. New hedge plants, selected with butterflies in mind, have been rewarded with notable sightings of Orange Tip and Brimstone.

The site is open to the public, except for an area of flood plain reserved for undisturbed wildlife. Footpaths lead around the margins linked to an adjoining permissive footpath towards Willington and beyond. Importantly, dog owners are asked to keep dogs on the lead as the site is primarily for wildlife. Educational use is encouraged: Brownies and Rainbows assisted in setting up a bug hotel; Older school children have helped in placing picnic tables. There are many opportunities for students to gain firsthand experience of local geology, history, wildlife, and the need to preserve and enhance our countryside. Periodic bird-watching walks can be joined by members of the public.

Ongoing work is only possible with the help of our many valuable volunteers! If you would like to help (no experience needed) please get in touch via the Contact Page.

Shipston Action for Swifts

Swifts arrive in the area in early May, always returning to the same nesting site. They set off again on a long migration south, followed a little later by their fledglings, who have to find their own way!

Sadly, these remarkable birds are under threat – from 1995 to 2018 their population declined by 58% and they are now in danger of extinction. One reason is swifts love to nest in old buildings, finding safe places high up in cracks in roofs and walls. Such places are increasingly rare in modern buildings.

Another problem is swifts feed on air-born insects – themselves under threat due to the use of pesticides, pollution of air and water and of course climate change.

Shipston had a good-sized population of swifts in 2013, but by 2016 they were greatly reduced and by 2019 there were probably only about nine or ten pairs left. In 2018 SAFE member Jacey Jackson and her husband Ed put up three nest boxes on the outside of their home in Shipston; Subsequently four more boxes were added to expand the colony which has continued to flourish.

Swift bricks can be seen inserted into a wall of the Shipston Tesco building; eleven have been fitted high up on the east-facing wall of Shipston’s Old Brewery building on the Stratford Road. Currently we are hoping to fit swift bricks into one of the walls of Shipston Town Council offices on West Street.

During summer our swift expert, Jacey, conducts walks around our area for those interested in these remarkable birds, as well as giving occasional talks.