The idea
Heswall, like many small towns, has commercial center with limited and disconnected areas that support wildlife. Creating, enlarging and enriching green zones in the town will provide a greater ability for wildlife to exist in, and move through the urban area, Planting that supports a wide range of insects will provide habitat supporting a wide biodiversity and beautify our neighborhood.
Our project will turn an area in the center of Heswall, outside the Fire Station, into a pollinator focused wildlife garden. This 100m2 grassed area, with thin borders that are no longer maintained, is becoming an eyesore in an area of high public footfall. The garden will be designed to have year round human interest (flowers, fruits and leaf colour) and through the selection of trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs will provide a rich source of nectar and pollen from February till November. It will also provide a critical central stopping off point for wildlife in the urban corridor.
What we'll deliver
- Remove turf to a depth of 2.5m in front of fire station bordering the fire station drive
- Improve soil with soil improver
- Edge the new border neatly
- Plant a small tree and 8 shrubs and a selection of perennials in each bed
- Mulch border with bark chippings
- Re-turf the reduced grassed area to cover the remaining unplanted areas
- Gravel the front area where footfall has warn away the grass
- Work with local school children to create key features for the garden, bug hotel, water source, hedgehog house
Why it's a great idea
The planting will provide a significant increase in pollen and nectar available to pollinators along the A540 corridor through Heswall along with nesting sites, food and shelter for a wide range of wildlife.
The planting will be a visual improvement to the area which has become neglected and does not enhance the center of the town. With large number of people walking past the site daily its improvement will support the wellbeing of residents.
We are also hoping that the consultation process that we will carry out in advance, and to feed into the development of this project, along with a side project to work with a local school to create key components, will raise the awareness of engagement of the local population with the need to support wildlife, and spawn more projects of this sort.
Steps to get it done
- Carry out consultation, location public library and finalise plan
- Prepare site by removing turf, edging the new border and improving soil and reshaping border profile
- Purchase Plants
- Plant up beds
- Carry out sub project with local school to create key features, bug hotel, water source and hedgehog habitat
- Install features with children
- Mulch beds with chopped bark and stabilise pavement edge with gravel
- Returf remaining unturfed area
The selection of this location for a pollinator and wildlife garden came from two sources, firstly a meeting of a number of local groups with an interest in supporting pollinators, where it was suggested that although it is quite a visually green town, there is a zone in the center that has little beyond grass.
Also there have been many complaints about the green areas of the town that were once maintained and planted up every year that have now been left . The impact on the appearance of the town and a desire to improve them means that we should get significant support for the project from the local community. We will build on this with our consultation process to get more of the community engaged in the project. Our limited publicity so far has led to two local businesses offering staff to help deliver the project,
