'Beautiful' pollinator sites caught the eye this summer
Residents and visitors to Wirral took to social media over the summer to share the colourful developments at a couple of parks and open spaces in the borough.
Dedicated wildflower beds planted at New Brighton’s Tower Grounds and Mersey Park, Tranmere, really came into bloom during the school holidays and the array of vibrant, bright colours caught people’s eye, leading to a number of Facebook posts by residents and a local photographer.
A recurring reaction to the photos was simply the word ‘beautiful’. Other similarly positive adjectives were also posted in response, while others expressed their hope that other areas could benefit from the wildflower planting, which is designed to increase the number of pollinator sites in Wirral.
These are just two projects that have been made possible due to Wirral’s allocation of UK Government funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) as the lead authority.
The funding is focused on three local investment priorities – Communities and Place, Supporting Local Business and People and Skills.
Wirral has been allocated more than £1.5m UKSPF funding as part of the Communities and Place investment priority, which is supporting many projects ranging from helping local communities become greener, tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in key locations, supporting high streets and bringing forward new ways of encouraging volunteering and social action.
The development of the wildflower beds at Tower Grounds and Mersey Park provides at least 1,000 square meters of wildflowers at each site, meaning there is now more than 2,000 additional square meters – an area approximately the size of eight tennis courts - packed with pollinator plants for the wildlife of Wirral to enjoy as well as residents.
The work started back in March 2023 with the sites being excavated and rotavated, prior to the wildflower seeds being sown in early April. By July, they had already started to catch people’s eye and our photos – taken in August – show the Tower Grounds reaching full bloom.
This funding is already starting to make a real difference to people’s lives right now, with activities and environmental improvements taking place along the Left Bank, while we also press on with the wider regeneration of the area.
In addition to what’s already happening, the grant will help us support local arts and heritage - including Wirral’s next year as Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture in 2024 - and help us give our high streets a real boost.
