Urban Buzz is creating habitat for pollinators across eight UK cities. This ambitious Buglife project is working with local people in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Plymouth, and York. Residents of these cities are contributing to the design and creation of flower-rich areas to benefit bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
Led by Buglife’s Urban Buzz Officer Hayley Herridge, work will begin in September and continue over the next 18 months, working closely with key partner Bristol City Council and other groups. This has been made possible by the generous support of over £1 million from Biffa Award and further support from The People’s Postcard Lottery and Garfield Weston Foundation.
Gillian French, Head of Grants, Biffa Award said “We’re really buzzing about this project to engage people with wildlife in urban areas. Pollinators are vital in any ecosystem and we’re really proud to be supporting this essential conservation work. The team at Buglife have grand plans, and we’re pleased that the Landfill Communities Fund can be used to help them achieve their ambitions.”
Following on from the highly successful first phase of Urban Buzz in Birmingham, Cardiff, Plymouth and York, we hope for even better things in Bristol, Ipswich, Leeds and Leicester. Hayley Herridge and her fellow project officers will be consulting with local residents on the best places to create new flower-rich areas in order to enhance the cities and improve pollinator habitat. This initial work will be followed by intensive seed sowing and planting to create lush, vibrant flower rich swards.
Hayley Herridge commented “This project is the largest scale urban based project in the UK for bees. Today, the urban environment provides one of the mainstays for our pollinators, but increased loss of garden and brownfield habitats is putting pressure on species survival. Urban Buzz will help redress the balance in favour of our pollinating friends who play a crucial role in pollinating many of our food crops as well as the beautiful flowers we enjoy.”
Urban Buzz Bristol will be officially launched on Tuesday 26th September at Feed Bristol. The event will be followed by some wildflower planting at Netham Park in the afternoon. Hayley will introduce the project highlighting the importance, diversity, and beauty of insect pollinators. She will also show how local people are pivotal to the project being a success.
Urban Buzz Bristol will work with interested parties, organisations, landowners and volunteers; any organisation or individual who wishes to be involved is invited to get in touch. If you would like to attend the launch event or have any questions, please contact Hayley on [email protected] or 07464 828 625.
