Partnership to improve park's biodiversity is a boost for pollinators
Stanmore Country Park near Bridgnorth has been designated a Place for Pollinators by local wildlife organisation West Midlands Butterfly Conservation.
Volunteers from the Friends of Stanmore Country Park, working in partnership with Shropshire Council, have worked tirelessly to improve the biodiversity of this popular country park over many years and their hard work has been recognised by the erection of a special information board explaining what has been achieved and the importance of wild flower areas for butterflies, moths and other insects.
Mike Williams, Publicity and Marketing Officer for West Midlands Butterfly Conservation said: “With so many of our wildflower meadows having been lost, it is great to see a local community organisation combining with the owners to improve their local area for wildlife. Areas such as these can never replace the loss of natural habitats, but we can all play a part in providing places for butterflies and moths by encouraging plants that are rich in nectar and pollen and provide opportunities for insects to stay and breed. Butterfly Conservation nationally has launched a Wild Spaces campaign in the hope that more people can be persuaded to do their bit for pollinating insects.”
Mike added: “We’re delighted that Stanmore Country Park has joined our Places for Pollinators campaign and hope that their wildflower meadows will continue to flourish and show what can be achieved in a relatively small area, while inspiring others to follow their example. So many of our pollinating insects are in decline, which is bad news for the planet as we depend on them for what we eat. We need more initiatives such as this to help populations recover”
Lucy Hockenhull from the Friends of Stanmore Country Park said: “The volunteers are very pleased to have Stanmore Country Park acknowledged by this important conservation group. The wildflower meadows, ponds, glades, rides and woodland in the park are all becoming increasingly biodiverse spaces that support a wide variety of flora and fauna. Our new sign is a great information point that helps visitors understand the purpose of our wildflower meadows areas. We are a friendly community group who meet twice a month to support the habitat improvement ambitions for our local green space. We welcome new volunteers to join us.
More information about the Wild Spaces campaign can be found at wild-spaces.co.uk, or to find out more about the Friends of Stanmore Country Park, see stanmorecountrypark.co.uk
