Space for Nature
Space for Nature is a local campaign to support the Parish Council’s Green Infrastructure Plan to give nature a helping hand. SinCH is very pleased to have been asked to take a lead in making this happen.
How to get involved:
• Garden at home with nature in mind
• Join neighbours to make your street greener and more wildlife-friendly
• Help us map the wildlife we already have
• Join us in planting and sowing
• Help look after our nature-friendly sites
For more information please read on.
Why do we need to do this?
Locally we have a lot of green space and footpaths. However we have already lost many fields and hedgerows so we need to protect and enhance what we have.
We cannot be complacent as the loss of plant diversity and animal life in the UK is shocking. The Staffs Wildlife Trust says that over the last 50 years 56% of all species have declined and the UK is ranked as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. For more details check out the State of Nature report.
There is hope as nature can bounce back, if given the chance and support. Across the UK people are working together to tackle this challenge.
SinCH is proud to be helping the Parish Council deliver its Green Infrastructure Plan through its Space for Nature work.
So what can we do?
1. Garden at home with nature in mind
We can all find ways to improve biodiversity in our own backyards and some good advice with an extensive guide of actions to take is published by the Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB here.
Lists of plants to support pollinators can be found here & here and creating wild patches here or here or even make your own nature reserve.
You can also encourage bats and amphibians or make bird boxes or a bee hotel. Alternatively, you could buy these locally here.
We do have hedgehogs in the villages and we are keen to help them. Check out sightings on the Big Hedgehog Map and if you see one please report it on that website so we can build up a fuller picture.
More advice here and here and please look out for more information about our local campaign.
Also check out SinCH’s Green Fingers newsletters for ideas and tips on gardening for nature and growing your own.
2. Make your street greener and more wildlife-friendly
Join up with your neighbours to take a look at your local area and think about what you can do together to enhance nature.
We already have some great examples within the villages at:
- Friends of Crossheads
- Mill Lane and Mill Court
- The Queen’s Sapphire Jubilee Orchard (Cliff Road)
- Shugborough Terrace
Thinking of setting up a group? For more info and advice please see the Colwich In Bloom website here or contact SinCH.
3. Help us map the wildlife we already have
It’s important to know what flora and fauna we currently have. We can then see what we can do to support nature by enhancing the biodiversity in the surrounding area.
We want to build up detailed maps showing what species we have and we are using a phone App called iNaturalist to help us. To take part in this you need to:
- Download the App on to your phone
- Sign up to iNaturalist
- Enable data and location on your phone before taking a photo of a species
- Check what the software suggests as an identification
- Before selecting it, do a common sense check – is this really what I am seeing?
- Upload your sighting
Please see our crib sheet or this quick tutorial.
We are particularly interested in:
- Wildflowers and plants
- Trees and hedgerows
- Birds
- Mammals
- Insects
Look out for events associated with this here and on Facebook.
4. Join us in planting and sowing
We are currently defining the sites we want to enhance including:
- Back Lane Nature Corridor
- Coley Lane Nature Corridor
- St Mary’s Estate
- Pollinator friendly flower beds (Colwich In Bloom)
Look out for more details here and on Facebook as the projects progress.
5. Help look after our nature-friendly sites
Finally, it takes time and work to maintain sites which are developing biodiversity so there will always be jobs to do throughout the year.
Why not sign up with us to help out at a site near you.
How do I get involved?
Please get in touch using one of these routes and we’ll make sure you are in the loop:
SinCH’s Space for Nature activities – info@sinch.earth, if you just want to be kept in the loop please sign up for SinCH’s regular emails here.
Colwich in Bloom activities– cpinbloom2@gmail.com
Also please watch out for local events which support this work – more details to follow on local Facebook pages, websites and future editions of the Parish Newsletter.
What else is going on locally?
For many years local groups such as Colwich Parish in Bloom have been doing some great work by helping community-based planting initiatives and some of these can be seen here.
There are a range of initiatives underway:
