A group of dedicated volunteers in Surrey is rolling up their sleeves to help save Britain’s pollinators.

As part of the Countryside Regeneration Trust’s (CRT) Wildflowers for Pollinators Appeal, volunteers at Pierrepont Farm in Frensham are preparing to transform a patch of overgrown scrubland into a thriving habitat for bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other essential insects.

The project aims to raise £5,000 to support the creation of a dedicated pollinator field bursting with native wildflowers.

To support the Wildflowers for Pollinators Appeal and help the volunteers at Pierrepont Farm create a wildflower haven for pollinators at Pierrepont Farm, visit: www.thecrt.co.uk/donate/wildflowers-for-pollinators-appeal

One of the volunteers who will be helping with the project is Brian Lavers. He joined the CRT’s volunteering programme at Pierrepont Farm 17-years-ago and has been a Friend of the CRT for about 23 years.

“The corner of the field where we plan to create the wildflower meadow haven has never been farmed as it was viewed as unproductive,” he said.  “It’s the ideal place for a wildflower meadow.  There are quite a few species already springing up.

“Pollinators are so extremely important. Anything that can be done to increase their numbers is worthwhile.”

Brian said the volunteer group will be creating the wildflower meadow with machinery, as well as sowing the seeds and tending the area.

He said he very much enjoys volunteering at the farm.

“It’s getting out into the countryside, doing something useful and enjoying good company. I could not think of anything nicer.”

Volunteer Kevin Young is also involved in the project and has volunteered with the CRT since 2012.

He said volunteering for him is about being with like-minded people.

“They are people who have chosen to be there and have the same concerns about nature. You feel you’re helping nature and giving something back, not just commenting on it,” he said.

Volunteer Manager Leslie Hackett says hearing from volunteers like Brian and Kevin is exactly what makes CRT’s conservation projects so powerful.

She said: “Our volunteers are at the heart of this appeal and the idea came from them.

“It’s their passion and commitment that will turn a neglected area of the farm into a thriving wildflower haven. It's wonderful to see the community coming together to give nature a helping hand.”

The £5,000 target will fund:

• Clearance of invasive scrub
• Wildflower seed and plug plant purchases
• Soil preparation and habitat improvements

The work is scheduled to begin in late winter/early spring 2026, giving the CRT time to prepare the site and ensure the right conditions for the first wildflowers to flourish.

The appeal is part of a wider effort by CRT to create wildflower meadows on its properties, with a successful one carried out at Bere Marsh Farm in Dorset last year, which is already seeing many wildflowers coming through. CRT volunteers have also worked hard planting wildflowers at Green Farm in Farnham, working to improve biodiversity for pollinators.

“We want to show that conservation doesn’t just happen in remote nature reserves—it can happen on working farms, in our local communities, and by ordinary people who care and this can all help pollinators to thrive,” added Leslie.

To support the Wildflowers for Pollinators Appeal and help the volunteers at Pierrepont Farm create a wildflower haven for pollinators at Pierrepont Farm, visit: www.thecrt.co.uk/donate/wildflowers-for-pollinators-appeal