NATURE PROJECT BRINGING A COMMUNITY BOOST TO STOKE TOWN

Community organisations have joined together in a bid to rid public walkways of litter, whilst at the same time providing opportunities for local residents to take part in free activities.

Nature in Town is a project by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, which was launched in January, with the aim of revitalising Stoke Town by improving the nature of local spaces in the high street, surrounding green spaces and parklets.

So far volunteers from Staffordshire YMCA, and the Canal & River Trust have come together to carry out group litter picks in and around Stoke Town.

In January this included a mile-long route along the Etruria towpath where 12 bags of rubbish were collected.

During the same month 30 visitors attended an informal nature event at Spode Rose Garden and in March, two wildlife walks took place at Richmond Street Park.

Sue Kneill-Boxley, Wilder Communities Officer at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, said: “Nature in Town has been a great project for Stoke Town and we have been delighted with the number of people who have come out and joined us - whether on a litter pick or at one of our nature events.

“Having members of the Staffordshire YMCA and Canals & River Trust join us on litter picking walks has also been a big help and we are now planning more.”

“Our project aims to help transform local spaces into little havens for pollinators and people. It also aims to highlight the amazing wildlife we have In Stoke.

“It may have been chilly in January, but we had 30 visitors attend our bug house building event at Spode Rose Garden and recently our nature walks have been well received with those who attended also making their own bird feeders to keep.

“What has been really good, is to see people of all ages coming together as well as learning about nature and helping to tidy up public spaces - new friends have been made.”

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s Nature in Town project received funding from the Stoke High Street Accelerator Fund pilot which is part of the £500,000 Greenspace Funding awarded to Stoke-on-Trent City Council to enable Accelerator partnerships to deliver projects to improve green spaces and parklets around Stoke Town Centres high street.

This was awarded by MHCLG and to date 14 projects have been approved through the Greenspace funding in Stoke Town.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust are holding two more litter picks this month, the next on Thursday 17 April at Lordship Lane 1:30 to 3:30pm - meeting by the gateway from Clarice Cliff Court ST4 2TQ, and Thursday 24th April, at Etruria tow path - meeting by Etruria Industrial Museum, Etruria Vale Road ST1 4RB.

Plans are now set for a ‘bioblitz’, whereby attendees will use a phone app to discover plants and animals in and around the Stoke Town area.

Sue added: “We are also aiming to run a bioblitz activity - which will be fun and informative at the same time. We are hoping to do this as part of an international City Nature Challenge, which runs from 25 to 28 April, and we are asking for local residents to get in touch to let us know if they would be interested in taking part.”

For more information please contact Sue by emailing s.kneill-boxley@staffs-wildlife.org.uk