Council appealing for help to save bees in Burnley and Padiham
It has saved around £60,000 per year but faced backlash from people who prefer traditional park settings.
An interactive bee trail, which teaches people about these vital pollinators using a mobile phone app, was also launched at a Meadow Celebration Festival at Padiham Greenway on Saturday, September 15th. The council hopes to create a buzz around bees, which help to generate approximately £400m for the economy by pollinating 90% of our food.
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Hide AdSean Kerr, parks development officer of the council’s green spaces and amenities department, said: “We have to act now. We can't brush the issue under the carpet and forget about it.”
Wildflowers have been planted along Padiham Greenway using £4000 in funding from charity Grow Wild. They will provide protective habitat from Pendle Street to the memorial park entrance. There are currently 35 species under threat, following the loss of around 97% of the UK’s wildflower meadows since 1947.
“We have to take special care of the environment or future generations might suffer,” Sean added.
“Education is key. People need to talk about it - that's the legacy we're hoping to leave.”
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Hide AdOffshoots, an award-winning environmental group, has designed a conservation garden at Towneley Park with man-made hives, seasonal plants and backyard demonstrations.
Pat Smith, Offshoots officer, said: “Children love it. You tell them about bees and they’re buzzing with excitement.”
Team Perham, a teenage voluntary group, has supported Offshoots with a town-centre campaign in August while the council took school pupils on a two-day wildlife survey of Burnley’s Thompson Park.
Now the council is calling for volunteers to help save our woodlands from neglect.
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Hide AdFor, as Pat added: "If we lost all our bees, our lives would look fragile and the future would be a scary place.
"We've already lost some species, so the fight to save the rest is urgent. It's up to every one of us to help protect them.
"We have some answers - but what we need now is action."
To find out about voluntary opportunities, send an email to [email protected] or call Green Spaces on 01282 425011.