Wildlife area opens at Kingsclere community food project.

Mayor opens £23,000 green space

The Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane has officially opened a new £23,000 wildlife area near Kingsclere as part of a charitable community food-growing project.

Mayor Roger Gardiner opened the wildlife area at the charity, Growing2gether (G2G) Project, at Cottismore Park, Newbury Road, and said: “This will be a significant addition to the area’s amenities and special thanks go to all the volunteers who have made it possible.”

The £23,038 project was led by the Newbury Community Resource Centre Limited, who run G2G, a community food-growing and training programme, for people with learning and physical disabilities and others who are at a disadvantage.

Undertaken by volunteers and staff, the project has laid new paths suitable for wheelchairs, as well as fencing and interpretation boards.

Trees and wildflowers have also been planted, and insect hotels and bird and bat boxes installed.

The resource centre’s chief executive Kelvin Hughes said: “With the help of the Veolia Environmental Trust and a hard-working team of volunteers, we have been able to transform a piece of waste ground into a stepping-off point for all members of the community to learn about and enjoy the countryside.”

Funding for the project came from The Veolia Environmental Trust, which awarded a grant of £17,984 through the Landfill Communities Fund. The shortfall was met by the resource centre.