A MEADOW on the outskirts of Ely has been specially selected to help mark 60 years since the Queen’s coronation.

Chettisham Meadown, famed for its bee orchid, oxeye daisy and cowslip, has been chosen by the Wildlife Trust to become a Coronation Meadow along with 60 others from across the UK.

Chettisham Meadow was selected by wildlife experts because it was an “outstanding example” and “full of local character and identity”.

The initiative was started by Prince Charles to highlight the plight of wildflower meadows in the UK, which have declined by an overwhelming 97 per cent in 75 years.

A spokesman for the project said: “This exciting project has two distinct aims. The first is to identify one flagship wild flower meadow – a Coronation Meadow - in each county.

“These meadows will be celebrated as the surviving ‘jewels in the crown’, places where people can enjoy a riot of colour and an abundance of wildlife in settings that have remained largely unchanged since the coronation.

“The second aim is to use these Coronation Meadows as source or ‘donor’ meadows to provide seed for the creation of new meadows at ‘recipient’ sites in the same county. In this way, new Coronation Meadows will be created.”

Over the next three years, Chesttisham and other Coronation Meadow will be used to ‘seed’ new meadows within each county. This will be done by collecting green hay from the donor meadow which is then spread onto the receptor site.