THE Hay Time Appeal, launched by Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) in April 2013, is well on its way to its target of raising £150,000 to fund an ongoing programme of meadow restoration and education work.

A little over two years into the three-year appeal, YDMT has announced that £142,539 has already been raised thanks to generous donations from individuals and local businesses, and grants from charitable trusts.

This has allowed the Hay Time project to expand into the Forest of Bowland.

Aims to re-introduce wildflowers into 20 hectares of degraded meadow each year have been surpassed. In 2013 the team added sustainably sourced seed to more than 60 hectares of degraded meadowland, 65 hectares in 2014, and a further 75 hectares are planned for this summer.

This is great news for the future of wildflower hay meadows, which are currently one of the most threatened habitats in Britain. Over the past 50 years, 97 per cent of meadows in the UK have been lost - only 1000 hectares (less than four square miles) survived putting many native wildlife species at risk.

Chris Myers, garden designer, TV presenter and Hay Time Appeal ambassador, said: “I feel very lucky to have grown up with the stunning wildflower hay meadows of the Yorkshire Dales right on my doorstep.

"This natural beauty has provided the inspiration for much of my work as a garden designer, and I think it is so important that we safeguard these habitats for future generations of youngsters to enjoy. That’s why YDMT’s work to save these precious meadows is so important.”

Education targets have also been exceeded – YDMT hoped to work with 250 children each year, and has actually delivered educational activities and meadow visits attended by more than 350 children from almost 20 different schools each year in 2013 and 2014, and are on track to meet the target again this year.

Adults have also been getting involved, learning how to identify and record wildflower and bumblebee species. More than 500 people have learnt new skills since the launch of the appeal.

Tanya St Pierre, Hay Time project officer, said: “I am thrilled that we have already been able to exceed many of our original aims for the appeal, but we want to carry on the momentum of the project and achieve even more. So we’ve increased our fundraising target for the Appeal to £200,000 to enable us to build on this success in 2016 and make a real difference for future generations. I hope that people and organisations will dig deep to help us achieve this.”

To find out more or to make a donation, visit ydmt.org/HayTimeAppeal or call YDMT on 015242 51002.