TO celebrate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, English Heritage has pledged to enhance and create 100 meadows at 100 historic sites over the next decade.

The charity will partner with Plantlife to deliver this natural legacy across the country.

Cumbria sites include Brougham Castle, Carlisle Castle, Piel Castle and Furness Abbey.

Kate Mavor, English Heritage’s chief executive, said: “The King’s coronation is a significant moment in history and we wanted to mark it in a meaningful way, in a way that combines two of His Majesty’s passions – nature and heritage.

"We’re creating more natural spaces at the heart of our historic properties, ensuring that wildflowers and wildlife can flourish there once again, and helping our visitors to step back into history and experience something with which the sites’ historic occupants would have been familiar.

"In a decade’s time, our coronation pledge will be an inspiring legacy of established, restored and new meadows at 100 of our historic sites – big and small – right across England.

"We hope that it will encourage local communities to get involved and help transform their local heritage sites into flower-rich meadows, which, in turn, will improve the quality and diversity of other grassland in the local area.”

Plantlife chief executive Ian Dunn added: "Plantlife is delighted to be working with English Heritage on meadow creation.

"This new and exciting partnership offers a lifeline to a hundred key grassland sites and their associated wildlife and focuses on a chapter of English natural history lost and all but forgotten.

"Together, we look forward to a future where England’s best historic sites boast the highest quality grasslands, supporting a myriad of diverse meadow plants and wildlife.

"With so many of our grassland wild plant species facing severe risks, this insightful initiative is unquestionably a step in the right direction.”

The initiative is inspired by The Coronation Meadows Project, an idea of the King’s, then the Prince of Wales, in 2013 to celebrate his mother’s Diamond Jubilee by creating at least one new meadow in every county.