Community Wildlife Garden starting to take shape in Cheswardine
Volunteers of the parish have been working on the next phase to transform an overgrown piece of land into a social space designed to encourage wildflowers and nature.
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Two years ago, Cheswardine Parish Council adopted an overgrown small area of land at the end of the village playing field. Unsure what to do with the space, Councillors Jill Hislop and Neil Bentley put forward a plan to develop the area into a community wildlife garden. The parish council agreed to fund the initial stages of the project but will also seek additional community funding grants as the project develops.
Project lead Cllr Hislop explained: “The site was dark and overgrown, plus the dead trees and shrubs were suffocating the natural wildflowers. Our first phase was to raise the canopy of the larger trees to allow more light and to clear the area of weeds and dead trees”. She added “We asked the tree surgeons to turn the felled trees into chippings which we have used to create the central pathway”.
The next phase of the project saw some members of the Cheswardine Youth Group volunteering their time to plant some new shrubs as well as scatter a special wildflower mixture that has been created specifically for the site after consulting with horticultural experts who specialise in wildflower gardens. Other residents worked with the parish councillors to fix the perimeter fencing and clear the rest of the site.
A new recycled-plastic picnic table has been purchased by the parish council which will be installed in May. The table will sit at the end of the wood chip pathway with residents and visitors welcome to use the space. Cllr Hislop described the overall objective of the project as “A space that all village groups are welcomed to use and develop but to maintain a focus on the natural wildflowers”.
As well as the Youth Group, children from Cheswardine primary school will also be adding their own touch to the area by designing some inset hotels and bird boxes.
The chair of Cheswardine Parish Council, Cllr Andrew Thomson, said: “This is such a great space for the village, our hope is that the whole community will be actively involved in maintaining and developing the site as it naturally grows over the years”.
Anybody who would like to get involved with the project or to make suggestions about its development are encouraged to contact the parish council via their website.
