Verging on the ridiculous

All Stretton community volunteers - the ‘Verginistas’ - were surprised to find the verge which they’d got mowed in August has just been mowed again! after they’d spent a morning planting donated cowslips, ox-eye daisies, yellow rattle.

The Verginistas have been ‘re-wilding’ the Shrewsbury Road between Church Stretton and All Stretton for several years, with local residents who regularly walk the pavement expressing delight at the new flowers, grasses, and butterflies. 

“I was shocked to see our verge had just been mowed again - I guess by a Shropshire Council contractor. Surely they should have seen the verge had already been mowed, and put their efforts to good use elsewhere? We’re told the Council is short of funds - but they’re wasting our money here.

"Staff and volunteers from the National Trust kindly lent a hand a few weeks to mow the verge and - very importantly - to clear up the ‘arisings’ (grass cuttings) which make it hard for flowers to grow. So our local volunteers, about 10 of us, were able to get on with the Autumn planting - only to find, a few days later, that the mowers had cut back our baby plants!

“That’s bad news in itself but contractors just left the arisings on the verge - which will make it even harder for the flowers to grow!"