77032-118HORTICULTULISTS in their hundreds have been gathering in Cricklade for a glimpse of one of the country's rarest flowers.

North Meadow in Cricklade is one of the few places in the country where the rare snakes head fritillary flourishes and over the weekend, hundreds of the beautiful flowers have blossomed giving visitors a close-up view of the distinctive plant.

The small purple and white blossoms were once a common sight but now they can only be seen at 12 sites around the country and as a result thousands of people visit the Site of Special Scientific Interest each year.

It is believed that some 80 per cent of the UK population of snakes head fritillaries are found at North Meadow.

Volunteers from English Nature have been taking visitors on four-mile walks through the meadow.

Chris Atkins of Cancer Research UK said: "Its been a great day, fortunately the rain has stayed away after some of the forecasts and we had around 250 people in the morning and we were expecting some 500 people during the day.

"We hope to raise around £1,000 for charity."

During the winter months the Rivers Thames and Churn frequently flood the meadow.

Flooding is vital to the growth of many plants and helps to maintain the great variety of species at North Meadow.

English Nature use traditional management in the form of grazing and yearly hay cut which has allowed an amazing variety of wildflowers to survive, it also supports a wide range of insects and birds.