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Nature FeaturesYou are in: Humber > Nature > Nature Features > Urban Oasis Urban OasisHidden away on a residential estate in east Hull is a haven of colour, acute sounds andβ¦ little beasts. Formerly a waste land where once stood a block of eight flats, this half acre patch of greenery on Hermes Close, Bilton Grange is home to a number of living organisms. The block of flats that stood before the garden Creation of the Hermes Close wildlife garden started in 2005 by resident and avid gardener Stuart MacDonald, a park ranger at East Park in Hull, along with neighbour Kay Edwards and volunteers from the estate. βWhen the flats got knocked down there were rumours of a hostel to be built in east Hull. We wanted to do something with this land and we thought it would be nice to continue the greenery theme thatβs on the edge of the estate and create a space for the whole community to enjoy.β said Kay Edwards. βItβs harder than you think creating this wildlife garden. Kay Edwards, community warden and resident βYou need to think of the dimensions of everything, even though people think you just throw a few seeds down and watch them grow, youβve got to maintain it and think of what wildlife youβre attracting. βYou also need to think about the colour β whatβs going to be blossoming at what time, so it takes a lot of planning but thatβs Stuartβs department.β The garden cost Β£7,000 and took two years to complete. It was funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the governmentβs Living Spaces scheme. Waste not, want notMajority of the garden was created using recycled materials and plants. Features such as a nine foot boat, two anchors and a well, which are the focal points of the space, were donated. βMost of our stuff has been reclaimed like the pavers, the logs and telegraph poles which hold the bird boxes.β said Stuart MacDonald. Wildlife and garden enthusiast Stuart MacDonald βThe children have made the bird boxes themselves and thatβs brought the Blue Tits to us. Weβve got Goldfinches, Dovecotes, Robins and weβve also had an Owl fluttering in the garden.β There are roughly 500 species of plants that attract an abundance of different wildlife. βWe get butterflies, frogs and newts β the children made a bath tub, which attracts them. Last year we had the first two foxes in, theyβve produced four cubs and they come into this garden to play with the neighbourβs cats.β said Stuart. βSo the garden really took off.β He added.
Help playing audio/video last updated: 04/06/2008 at 17:08 You are in: Humber > Nature > Nature Features > Urban Oasis |
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