Across the UK, our wildlife is suffering declines – and Yorkshire is in danger of losing well-loved favourites like swifts, which have declined by 50% in the last 30 years. The real possibility that we could be the last generation to see a hedgehog in the wild is unthinkable - but with our gardens making up nearly 30% of the total urban area of Yorkshire, that’s a lot of potential for action in our gardens on whatever scale.
Since launching two years ago, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Gardening Award has inspired hundreds of people - with gardens of all shapes and sizes taking part and have rewarded over 500 gardeners for their incredible efforts to create havens for wildlife. The award has been revamped and now offers three tiers – bronze, silver, and gold – with an increasing number of wildlife-friendly actions to take.
Previous entries have ranged from small urban ‘yard-ens’, to schools, community spaces, snickets, allotments, health centres, and even a prison - all these wild spaces play a vital role in creating stepping stones and corridors for wildlife through urban areas, linking towns and villages with green spaces and countryside.
The Trust are launching the award alongside a brand-new online wildlife gardening hub; packed with inspiring information and toolkits to support gardeners to make their outdoor spaces more wildlife-friendly, and advice on everything from creating wildflower meadows to building dead wood habitat for bugs, wildlife gardening events, case studies and blogs.
Jo Rawson, Community Engagement Manager at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, says, “If you’ve ever daydreamed about entering your garden for Chelsea and winning that magical gold award, now is your chance!
“With three different tiers of award to go for, our Wildlife Gardening Award is suitable for everyone – whether you’re a complete gardening beginner faced with a bare and empty yard, or your garden can compete with RHS Harlow Carr. There are plenty of tips, hints and tricks to help you make the best of your garden, including advice on which plants to buy and where, and changes you can make on a budget.
“We hope to inspire a wave of wildlife-friendly action across the county – and to see greener and wilder urban spaces for all to enjoy.”
Eco Friendly Garforth have created an amazing community garden on land owned by their local pub, bringing their community together to create a fabulous blend of plants grown for food and native plant species for wildlife with raised beds, a herb spiral, a pond, bug homes and a hibernaculum. They planted fruit trees, native wildflowers, and created a lovely communal space for families to enjoy connecting with nature.
Similarly, Kippax Wildlife Corridor have created a network of planting and wildlife habitat that connects private gardens with a shared outdoor space, allotment and footpath – this has supplied hedgehogs with cover and food for bees, butterflies, and birds.
‘We’ve seen a massive increase in insects’, said Victoria from Kippax Wildlife Corridor, ‘including more bumblebees than ever before, and the bird population has really boomed. The sound of bird song in the wildlife corridor is magical… that’s the thing most people pick up on - the beautiful sound of birds!’
To celebrate the spring and those working hard to make Yorkshire a wilder place for all, the Trust has also invited gardeners to open their gates and take part in a wildlife-friendly open gardens event from Saturday 3rd May to Sunday 11th May. This exciting event will give the public a unique opportunity to visit some of Yorkshire’s most wildlife-friendly gardens, as 20 of our Wildlife Gardening Award winners across the county open their outdoor spaces to the public for a limited time only.
Moira at Eco Friendly Garforth added; "We all enjoy meeting visitors to the garden and showing them around. We like to hear stories from where they come from too...a chance to share common interests and this space we enjoy. "
GROW Scarborough are one of the gardens that are looking forward to opening to the public. Already this year, they have planted dog rose, hawthorn, blackthorn, and rowan to increase habitat and food sources for wildlife and added a dead hedge to create more shelter for small mammals, birds and invertebrates.
Darren from GROW Scarborough said,“All of us at GROW Scarborough are thrilled to be going for gold this year! With the support of CaVCA, our volunteers have transformed The Street Community Garden into a thriving space for both people and wildlife. We can’t wait to welcome visitors and share what our hard work has achieved!”
To find out more about applying for the Wildlife Gardening Award, visiting a Wildlife-Friendly Open Garden near you and for inspiring resources to make a wilder garden, go to www.ywt.org.uk/wildlife-gardening.