Operation Save the Meadow (and first SWEP of 2025)

If you have been following us you will remember we planted a perennial meadow at the front of the museum.

This week we had a meadow emergency, followed swiftly by the first Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (cold) for 2025.

Climate change is keeping us busy.

The weather has been so unseasonably warm that our perennial meadow seedlings grew right through the scaffolding net we put down to stop the pigeons eating all the seed.

MoH meadow with the netting on to protect it

We contacted our friend Sean at Inner Temple Gardens, who donated the original strewings* to ask what to do. The advice was to gently lift the netting without pulling all the seedlings out. We got to work on this on Tuesday.

*strewings are a seedbank of a meadow, kind of like a meadow archive.

Lifting the netting gently so as not to pull up the seedlings

Garden crew with Ms Vivienne Messwood the Scarecrow

Our garden crew did a banging job, helped greatly by our pals from Rede Partners.

Rede team and crew

The meadow was saved! We think you will agree it is looking gorgeous.

The newly saved meadow

Next up, SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Protocol) was called so we have been very busy this week getting supplies out to the street and organsing emergency hotel rooms for community members (and dogs) who need it.

We have kept our SWEP operating consistently, even though it was called off for one night where the temp was above freezing. We have also extended the stays of folk until Monday. This is following the local response lead of Haringey. We are pleased to see this approach as it is something we called for in our last Severe Weather Emergency report.

Its gone from warm to cold very quickly and we now feel like winter is truly upon us. We are taking care of each other (and our meadow!).

We send out our massive thanks to everyone who has supported our winter appeal, your funds are already getting spent on provision that is much needed. ❤️

If you want to donate you can do so here