Wildlife charity Buglife are launching a new initiative to help Cornwall’s bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. Urban Buzz will be working with local communities to create wildflower-filled buzzing hotspots for people and pollinators – across St Austell, Truro, Falmouth and Wadebridge.
It is well known that our pollinators are in trouble, and a major cause is a lack of wildflowers in our countryside, and in our towns and cities. Urban Buzz will help to boost local populations of bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other pollinating insects by transforming mown and unused urban spaces into colourful, vibrant areas, buzzing with life!
Urban Buzz has already worked in eight major cities across the UK, including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Plymouth and York and we are delighted to now bring the project down to Cornwall.
Laura Larkin, Buglife’s Urban Buzz Officer explains “Urban Buzz will work in publicly accessible spaces to plant wildflower meadows and pollinator-friendly flower beds, fruit trees and bulbs and create bee hotels and bee banks, to create new habitat to help our precious pollinators. We will work with four local communities to create at least 10 new ‘Buzzing Hotspots’ in each location.”
Cornwall Urban Buzz is supported by Biffa Award and The Eden Project. The project is a partnership led by Buglife, along with Cornwall Council, Falmouth Town Council, St Austell Town Council, Truro City Council and Wadebridge Town Council.
Gillian French, Head of Grants at Biffa Award says “Urban Buzz is a brilliant project as not only is the focus on improving biodiversity and creating homes for pollinators, but also on bringing the community together. Local people are able to have a direct impact on their local wildlife and that’s what makes this project so special.”
Dr Mike Maunder , Director of Life Sciences at The Eden Project says “Eden is delighted to be working with Buglife. We have shared ambition to regenerate Cornwall’s landscapes to bring back wildlife and to bring delight to our communities”.
Cllr Sue James Cornwall Council Cabinet Member for Environment & Public Protection says “Cornwall Council is very pleased to support Cornwall Urban Buzz. With bees and other pollinators facing a tough future, this project will help improve urban areas by creating places where insects can forage and find shelter. It’s another way we’re helping nature through environmental growth, and links nicely with our Pollinator Action Plan which aims to do more for pollinators across the Council’s estate.”
Simon Penna, Falmouth Town Council’s Grounds and Facilities Manager says “We are thrilled to be working with Buglife to improve some of our open spaces through the provision of pollinator habitat by wild flower seeding some of the grass areas within the town. Falmouth has a wonderful community that take immense pride in the town so the project will hopefully be supported by volunteers from the community, schools and students from the University.”
St Austell Town Council says “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Buglife, on the Cornwall Urban Buzz project. It is hoped this partnership will create colourful, wildlife-rich areas of wildflowers which the whole town can enjoy.”
Mayor of Truro, Cllr Lindsay Southcombe says “We are very excited about this opportunity in Truro. We are already trying to increase our wildlife habitat and make room for nature and this gives us just the help we need.”
Wadebridge Mayor, Cllr Philip Mitchell states “Wadebridge has a thriving community who we know are enthusiastic about being part of Cornwall Urban Buzz. We may be bias, but Wadebridge is already a beautiful town and through working with local people, the Town Council are excited by what we can achieve. It’s a great opportunity to bring people together while bringing benefits to wildlife.”
In summer and autumn 2018 there will be bug hunts, bee hotel making, seed sowing and flower planting events across all 4 towns, and we are also looking for any community groups who may wish to take part.
If you’d like to get involved in the project or be kept up to date with any events in your area, then please visit our website at www.buglife.org.uk/urban-buzz/cornwall or contact Laura Larkin on [email protected]
