Funded by

Case StudiesPollinator Paths

Toolkit

Toolkit aims

Putney Community GardenPutney Community Garden (PCG) was founded less than a year ago and has already engaged in numerous projects, including Pollinator Paths. This project has enabled the community garden to build connections with other gardens in Wandsworth, mostly through common events and meetings, organised together with LSx. PCG has distributed18 pollinator kits to residents. The benefits to Putney Community Garden certainly outweighed challenges it faced to distribute and store the kits. As one of the garden representatives, Rowan Salim, has noted: “The pollinator plants kits are a perfect “offer” for the local residents approaching the garden”. Participation in a Pollinator Paths project provides a perfect opportunity for young community gardens, such as PCG, to connect with other local organisations participating in the project, and engage with the local community through the plant kits.

Cassie - Bramford Community GardenCassie’s grandmother, Sha, is a volunteer at Bramford Community Garden, and she usually brings her there after school, so she can watch birds, insects and flowers. Cassie has a passion for nature and loves spending time in the garden. She got very excited to participate once she learnt about the Pollinator Paths project. She was keen on planting flowers and herbs at home and persuaded her father, Mark, to come for one of the project launching events. They got seeds of Nasturtium, Chives, Mint, Strawberry, Thyme and Marjoram. Initially, Mark was concerned as he and Cassie had minimal experience in gardening and limited space at home; they live in a block of flats, with a balcony that doesn’t receive much direct sunlight. And yet due to the enthusiasm of his daughter, he decided to give it a try. He has since returned to the Bramford Community Garden to report that the plants are thriving. He did not expect he would enjoy gardening so much and that they could achieve such a success. They definitely want to keep on taking care of their plants and have expressed a desire to start growing beans.

Making B-Lines - pollinator safe travels across the UKMuch of the wildflower-rich grassland areas in the UK have been taken over by intensively managed farmland and paved towns and cities. This alteration of the landscape is one of the major contributing factors behind the dramatic declines to native pollinator populations; 40-70% of species could go extinct if action is not taken. Charity buglife, in partnership with a number of environmentally-focused organisations, tackles this threat with the B-Lines initiative, a project aiming to expand a network of wildflower-rich routes across the UK, providing habitat and forage for bees, butterflies and other insect pollinators. You can find an interactive map online showing current routes and the type of pollinator-friendly work carried out, such as habitat restoration, wildflower sowing, and meadow creations. Here you can find resources to positively transform your land, and submit your work to update the map. Not only does it encourage wildlife and enable pollinator popula-tions to move across the landscape, it also makes local areas more attractive.

Engaged around 120 people from 72 households4 local gardening projects connectedStrengthened community cohesion by 90%* and wellbeing by 85%*

95% participants feel more confident gardening at home12 community garden events heldFacebook group with 82 members, over 180 posts and 600 “likes” *Based on a survey of 20 participants

Having successfully completed the pilot of Pollinator Paths Wands-worth in 2017, this guide is designed to help you create your own project based on the ethics and principles of permaculture. It shows you how to design the project to fit your local community and their urban homes, and also provide them with support.

Wandsworth achievements

“I have learnt a lot about pollinators and the variety of them. I have also learnt a lot more about planting for wildlife. It has also been great to meet other participants and make connections with other community gardens.”

- Community garden participant

“Gardening keeps you in the moment so anxieties are put to one side. It is peaceful and gives you a sense of achievement.” - Community garden participant

About Pollinator PathsThis project increases the availability of forage and habitat for pollinators through engaging local citizens in gardening activities. The project fosters community co-

hesion and works to establish a better connection between locals and nature.

Pollinator Paths Project Brochure 20180116.indd 1 17/01/2018 10:15:13

How to create your own Pollinator Paths...

1 Do your research...Consider the local area and biodiversity to determine what is relevant, for example, priority species*, suitable microclimates and seeds and plants you will need.

2 Engage partners...Engage potential organisations and academics that can help you reach out to participants and that can advice for your project.

3 Fundraise...Try asking if relevant op-portunities are available.

4 Communications...Decide on effective methods, for example, come up with a local social media strategy.

5 Stakeholder meeting...This will allow you to get feedback on your pollinator and plant choices for distribution - think about how the plants can be made more interesting for participants e.g. do they produce fruit/ herbs for eating.

6 Source materials...Think about where you’ll get the plants/seeds/containers. Ideas could include recycled wood or any available cuttings or plants from nearby gardens.

7 Recruit participants...Try involving people from various backgrounds and community groups to spread the reach of the project.

8 Hold events...This will allow you to distribute plants and seeds to participants. They can be held at local hub gardens. It is important to gain participant details for future feedback.

9 Provide support...It is important that for the duration of the project you provide support to participants. Garden hubs could be an effective way of implementing support. Types of support could be through free training, blogs, advice and sharing stories.

10Hold a final event...This will help participants to celebrate their hard work and successes, network, provide feeback, and plan for the future!

“My balcony looks better with flowers and I’m delighted to have seen in-sects on them. I would like to think I’m contributing to the increase in poli-nation in an urban area which helps the bees” - Community garden participant

What did we do?• Offered low-cost plant kits to turn windows and balconies of homes and shop fronts into wildlife havens.

• Provided training in gardening through workshops run by local community gardens.

• Held events in collaboration with garden partners to distribute plants and seeds.

• Encouraged planting activities and provided continual support through monthly blogs and social media.

Challenges we face•Plant pollinators are essential for much of the food we eat and medicines we use - 1 in 3 mouthfuls of food we eat rely on pollination! (https://1in3mouthfuls.org/)

•Decreases in populations and local extinctions of many pollinator species are happening across Europe. (http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators/resources-and-outreach/globally-pollinators-are-in-decline)

• In the UK, more than half of bee, butterfly and moth species have declined within roughly 50 years. (https://www.

britishbeecoalition.org/decline-threats/)

•Younger generations are becoming less engaged with the environment. Four out of five children in the UK are considered to be disconnected from nature. (RSPB, 2013)

Protecting habitatsPatches of forage help insects move between larger green

spaces, but they are not enough on their own. We need to provide habitats nearby or protect existing habitats.

Keep twigs and leaves in the

garden to avoid destroying insect

habitats during the autumn and winter

months!

Make a bee house for

Mason Bees to nest!

Make a bee water garden so they can cool their hives in summer and water down crystallised

honey in winter!“It brightens the area up! It enhances the neighbourhood! This project is a brililiant idea!” - Community garden participant

Key learning• Collaboration is important. Try to bring together local gardens, academics, biodiversity experts, and enthusiastic amateurs.

• Communicate and keep everyone up-to-date. Social media is great to share information.

• Children are fascinated by nature. This is a great opportunity for them to learn about plants and insects and reconnect with nature.

L:\PROJ - Pollinator Paths\03 Communications\How-to Guide and Leaflet\images from aiga for document\bees-44507_960_720.png

Read our case study at www.lsx.org.uk

* Priority species are especially important either for their eco-system of for people- they may form a key part in the food chain or be highly valuable to the livelihood of communities. See the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) for more information.

Pollinator Paths Project Brochure 20180116.indd 2 17/01/2018 10:15:15