The idea
Last Summer Long Newnton Parish Council funded wild flowering of two small areas in the Village. The ultimate aim was to create a beautiful wildlife habitat within the village, and in addition try to slow down the speed of traffic through the village.
The result was a truly stunning visual display in the village, which received wide critical acclaim on social media.
Village residents have seen many butterflies and bees in the wild flowers, and now as the seeds heads are forming there are many birds taking advantage of the plentiful food supply.
it has been noted that there has also been a reduction in speeding as well!
We are now looking to expand the wild flower areas through the village. As a small ,Parish Council we have very limited precept funds, and cannot fund any additional space, so we are now looking to raise additionl funds via this crowdfund portal.
The monies will fund the preparation and seeding of the additional space, and ongoing maintenance for a 3 year period.
What we'll deliver
- Wild flower additional areas in the village
- Maintain and manage the areas to ensure a display every year
Why it's a great idea
Our roadside verges are sanctuaries for wildflowers, pollinating insects, reptiles, amphibians and small mammals. They also provide essential green corridors for which these species disperse. Since the 1930s, 97% of the UK’s wildflower meadows have been lost or modified. This loss of habitat has meant our pollinating insects have suffered steep decline.
Our proposed area, whilst small, will be step in the right direction.
For many people wildflowers on our roads in these challenging times, are an uplifting sight, contributing significantly to our wellbeing. It’s been wonderful to see on social media many photos have been taken of the areas we wild flowered last year.
In summary..
Environmental - it will increase the biodiversity of the village and provide new wildlife habitats
Wellbeing - the visual display is stunning and really uplifting.
Traffic management - even the small area this year has helped slow down traffic through the village
Steps to get it done
- Autumn 2021 maintenance on existing areas
- Spring 2022 preparation and seeding of additional areas
- Autumn 2022 maintenance of all areas