Welshpool Fairway to Haven

A view of a landscape with grassland, bracken and scattered gorse bushes, stretching away to distant hills and mountains. There is a blue sky with a few white clouds.

A view of Welshpool Golf Club in February 2023 © MWT/Tamasine Stretton

Welshpool Golf Club manages 91 hectares of land three miles from the town of Welshpool. It already supports a good range of wild animals, plants and fungi, but as only one third of the land is currently actively managed for golf, there is huge potential for large areas of habitat to be managed for the benefit of nature. Immediately adjacent to the golf course is Y Golfa (an additional 25 hectares), an area of land managed by MWT for the benefit of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary (PBF) butterfly. This is one of only nine remaining sites in the whole of Wales for this rare and threatened species and is the most important population, with four other sites nearby. Other threatened species have been recorded on site too including Yellowhammer, Tree Pipit, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Brown Hare.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly in close up © MWT/Tammy Stretton

Yellowhammer on hedge copyright Chris Gomersall/2020VISION

Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) male in spring plumage in hawthorn hedgerow. Norfolk. April 2011. - Chris Gomersall/2020VISION

Donald Sutherland

Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly at rest on bracken

Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly © MWT/Tammy Stretton

A small orange and brown-green butterfly at rest on green vegetation

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly © Vaughn Matthews

Tree pipit © Derek Moore

The Welshpool Fairway to Haven project was the beginning of an exciting new partnership, with the golf club leading on a project which focused on managing and enhancing land for nature, whilst also improving access for local people. The project was funded by Welsh Government’s Local Places for Nature Challenge Fund, administered by WCVA.

Welshpool Golf Club worked with MWT to carry out habitat management and surveys, by setting up a ‘Friends of PBFs’ volunteer group and purchasing specialist machinery to work in bracken and scrub on steep slopes. The project team also ran events, installed new interpretation and improved access. To read the final project report, click on the link below.

Welshpool Fairway to Haven final project report

Welshpool Fairway to Haven project final project report

An open landscape view with a carpet of bluebells amongst dead bracken in the foreground, stretching away to scattered trees covered in white blossom, and then distant hills in the background

A spring view of Welshpool Golf Club © MWT/Tamasine Stretton

Montgomeryshire landscape in the spring, with Bluebells, fresh colour on the trees & farmland in the distance copyright Tamasine Stretton

Landscape near Welshpool in the Spring © Tamasine Stretton

A landscape view with rough grassland, scrub and bracken in the foreground (shades of brown and dark green) and hills in the background

Looking across Welshpool Golf Club towards the Breidden Hills © MWT/Tamasine Stretton

Blue sky with some white cloud over a distant winter landscape of green fields, hedgerows, hills and mountains in the distance. In the foreground there is bracken and scrub.

Looking northwest from Welshpool Golf Club © MWT/Lottie Glover

A view of Welshpool Golf Club in February 2023 © MWT/Tamasine Stretton

Are you interested in joining the ‘Friends of PBF’s’ volunteer group who help carry out habitat management for PBFs and other species, and carry out surveys at Welshpool Golf Club. Please email tammy@montwt.co.uk if you’d like to join or to find out more information.

Use #fairway2haven on social media to see more on the project.

Although Welshpool Fairway to Haven has finished, it is not the end of our work with Welshpool Golf Club. Together we are continuing to deliver the fiver-year management plan. Also look out for more events at this wonderful location near Welshpool.

A group of people watching a presentation inside a building copyright Hannah Zervas

Welshpool Fairway to Haven project launch event presentation © Hannah Zervas

A group of people walking in the countryside, beside a pond copyright Hannah Zervas

Participants enjoying a walk round Welshpool Golf Club at the Welshpool Fairway to Haven project launch event © Hannah Zervas

A group of people scattered amongst some recently pruned young Hawthorn trees

Friends of PBFs Volunteer Group undertaking pruning at Y Golfa in February 2024 © MWT/Tamasine Stretton

A group of people raking bracken copyright Hannah Zervas

Friends of PBFs Volunteer Group raking bracken at Welshpool Golf Club © Hannah Zervas

Three people looking down at the bracken covered slope in front of them. In the background is a view of green fields, hedges and trees.

Friends of PBFs Volunteer Group surveying habitat at Y Golfa © MWT/Tamasine Stretton

A photo showing an area of brown bracken litter with abundant Common Dog-violet and Ground Ivy, which have green leaves and purple flowers

A perfect square?! Abundant Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana) and Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) amongst bracken litter © MWT/Tamasine Stretton