Plant Britain returns to our screens this spring on BBC One. The Countryfile series, co-produced by The Open University and BBC, will air on Sunday 23 May 2021 at 5:50pm.
Building on the success of Plant Britain’s tree planting campaign, the spring episode will focus on community gardens in a bid to tackle climate change and improve mental and physical wellbeing.
Plant Britain will also look to highlight the importance of wildflower meadows and how they support flora and fauna.
On a single day in summer, one acre of wildflower meadow can contain 3 million flowers, producing 1 kg of nectar sugar. That’s enough to support nearly 96,000 honeybees per day. But since the 1930s, we have lost nearly 7.5 million acres of flower-rich meadows and pastures. Just 1% of our countryside now provides this floral feast for pollinators.
OU academic consultants Dr Clare Lawson and Professor David Gowing have been involved in advising and shaping the programme.
David Gowing, Professor of Botany at The Open University, said:
“In the new episode, Countryfile’s Plant Britain campaign takes a step beyond trees to promote community gardens and species-rich meadows. Meadows are perfect nature-based solutions across a range of scales.
“The programme enthuses people to become involved in creating them, whether in gardens or fields. Meadows bring huge benefits for biodiversity and have the potential to mitigate climate change through storing carbon in their soils. The Open University, as host of the Floodplain Meadow Partnership, has particular expertise in this area and has created accessible online content promoting meadows in all their forms.”
This series was commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships and is supported by the faculty of science, technology, engineering and maths.
- Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Head of Broadcast and Partnerships
- Academic Consultants Dr Clare Lawson and Professor David Gowing
- Media Fellows Dr Julia Cooke
- Broadcast Project Manager Clair Robinson
- Digital Content Producer Alison Tang
