Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) is working with Canal and River Trust and Community Pollinator Patches to create wildlife patches in Carnforth and Lancaster.
The project will see green spaces in Carnforth and the Lune Valley Aqueduct transformed into wildflower habitats that will benefit bees, butterflies, hoverflies, beetles, moths and other insects, as well as creating beautiful areas of flowers for local residents to enjoy.
It is part of Bee Together, a programme supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players, which aims to work with local communities to create habitats that could help reverse the decline of wild pollinators.
Catherine Mercer, Bee Together Officer at YDMT, said: “Schemes such as this are vital if we are to reverse the decline in pollinators. We’re really excited to be collaborating with two local organisations to increase the food and nesting sites available to bees and other pollinators in the local area.
“We’ll be building on the great work of Community Pollinator Patches, who have already created several wildflower areas locally.”
Erica Sarney from Community Pollinator Patches, added: “Community Pollinator Patches are a local organisation who work as volunteers to encourage the development and management of areas of native wild flowers and grasses to benefit wildlife and people on public and private land.
“We are delighted to work on this project adjacent to an existing Community Pollinator Patch in Carnforth. We look forward to seeing it in bloom next year.”
Volunteers from all three organisations will come together at 10.00am on Monday 30th September at Arkholme Close in Carnforth to transform two sites – and everyone is welcome to join in sowing seed and planting native plug plants.
Recent research, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, found parks and urban green spaces are important habitats for pollinators with even small patches of allotments and weeds providing sustainable forage for bees and other insects.
‘Bee Together’ seeks to create a corridor of these important habitats between Leeds and Lancaster, contributing to a national network of ‘B-Lines’ mapped by Buglife.
B-Lines are a series of ‘insect pathways’ running through our countryside and towns. Buglife are working with a number of partners to restore and create wildflower-rich habitat stepping stones – ideal for pollinators like bees and butterflies and a host of other wildlife.
This B-line crosses the Yorkshire Dales, the Aire Valley and Lancashire and will help pollinators expand into new locations and move from area to area across a network of new habitats.
This project has been generously supported by John Chambers Wildflower Seed, who have donated a custom mix of native wildflower seed to create this meadow and many others.
