John Chambers Wildflower Seed has donated a custom mix of native wildflower seed to create an exciting new wildflower meadow at Middletown Recreation Ground in Skipton.
Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) worked with Skipton Town Council to create the new meadow. The project will see an area of the green space transformed into a wildflower habitat benefiting bees, butterflies, hoverflies, beetles and moths, creating a beautiful area of flowers for residents.
Part of Bee Together, a programme supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund which works with local communities to create habitats that could help reverse the decline of wild pollinators.
John Chambers Wildflower Seed has a 30-year history supplying native British produced wildflower seed and mixes to landscape and garden lovers across the UK.
Catherine Mercer, Bee Together Officer at YDMT, said: "Schemes such as this are vital if we are reverse the decline in pollinators. "According to the 2016 State of Nature report, 60% of bees and other pollinators are in decline. Facing a range of threats, from toxic pesticides to climate change, one of the most significant reasons for decline is the loss of wildflower-rich habitats.
Declining pollinator populations are bad news for wildlife and people, a third of the food we eat depends on pollinating insects. If bees are in trouble so are we.
It also marks the beginning of the development of a town-wide pollinator action plan being drawn up between ourselves, Buglife and the Council that will help manage green spaces for the benefit of pollinators.
Joel Henderson, Estates Manager at Skipton Town Council, added: "We've lost more than 95% of the UK's wildflower meadows, making projects like this one really important.
The joy of being immersed in a meadow, surrounded by the buzz of bees is a pleasure that is alien to many of our younger generation so we're really looking forward to bringing this experience to the people of Skipton, while also tackling biodiversity loss."
