FOR the first time in half a century there are cows on Bishops Meadow, grazing the grass on the banks of the River Wey just a short stroll from Farnham town centre, as they once did for hundreds of years.

Over the centuries, cattle grazing made Farnham’s 34-acre water meadows the beautiful green space they are today - so bringing the cows back is a very important part of The Bishop’s Meadow Trust’s long-term restoration and management plan.

The hand-reared young heifers are “very friendly”, says the trust, and come from the same farm whose cattle graze in Farnham Park. Sturdy fences and a kissing gate have been erected to make sure they don’t escape - while allowing people to go in.

This is the first of a number of new initiatives by the Bishop’s Meadow Trust, including a new-look website www.bishopsmeadowtrust.org where people can also enter the competition to name the cattle, and a programme of activities and volunteering opportunities planned throughout the summer.

This coming Saturday, members and potential members of the trust are invited to join the first of its regular monthly volunteer days, meeting at 10am at Crosby Gate. Next month, visitors will see giant brightly coloured otters sitting on the riverbank as part of the Otter Wey project.

Scouts will also be doing a Big Litter Pick later in the summer and at the end of June is Hayfest, an annual celebration of the traditional hay cut with live music, beer, food, ice creams, a dog show and more.

Last year the trust also won a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of nearly £10,000 to commission Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) to undertake a survey of all the wildlife on the meadow.

Commenting on the meadow’s new arrivals, SWT principal ecologist Isobel Girvan said: “Bringing the cattle back onto Bishop’s Meadow is designed to enhance the diversity of the existing grasses and herbs and to maximise the potential for wildlife. We will continue to monitor the fields and hope to see a positive change in the next few years.”

The Bishop’s Meadow Trust was set up nearly a decade ago to save the land from development. Herald proprietor Sir Ray Tindle initially put up the money to buy the meadow and the trust gradually paid him back with donations from hundreds of Farnham residents.

*The coverage of this story on page three of the April 25 edition of the Herald mistakenly referred to the cows as "young bulls".

The Herald and Bishop's Meadow Trust would like to apologise for any alarm caused by this misunderstanding.