We were delighted to be asked by Chiswick Horticultural and Allotment Society to take over another allotment space that was adjacent to the current wildlife space.
With the help of a grant from CHAS and the Philanthropic Trust (UK) we were able to start developing the site straight away. Along with our original site, this addition will take many years of work to develop and keep wildlife friendly. We are always open to new volunteers!
So far we have developed a bee and butterfly bank with plug plants bought from the funding. This should give a glorious display of native pollinator friendly plants next year. We have experimented with a wildflower meadow, which despite being sown quite late, is showing a lot of promise! We will be seeding a larger area through Autumn and early Spring. We can’t wait to see how this develops next year.
We had help from the wonderful folk at the Good Gym to do some digging to join the two sites. Both Chiswick and Belmont School students helped with weeding and planting. We had fun looking for bugs amongst the plants and wood piles and finding newts in the pond.
From the funding, we have also been able to purchase wildflower seeds and bulbs which we will be planting this month. These should give a nice Spring display for early pollinators.
Next year, we will put in more wildlife habitats and see if we can grow any shrubs or hedging across a wide area that is quite shady and dry. There is always a challenge!
Progress on the Wildlife Allotment – 2024
We were delighted to be given permission by the Council and CHAS to renovate the wildlife plot at Staveley Road allotments, which unfortunately had been uncared for over recent years and needs a bit of a face lift.
Funding from Chiswick Horticultural & Allotment Society and Hounslow Council Thriving Community Grant we were able to make this wildlife allotment a reality. Not forgetting the volunteers who spent many hours turning it from a low biodiversity area to one now full of life!
The pond is now looking fab. It had little to no life in it when we emptied it and relined. (see video at end of page) We now have newts, frogs and ramhorn snails in there as well as pond skaters and other insects. The bees, birds, dragonflies and damselflies also enjoy it. There are so many dragon fly lavae and different beetles in there, is quite amazing to see!
After the seeds in the flower meadow area did not grow in 2023, we were very grateful to receive a grant for Hounslow Council which enabled us to buy wildflower plug plants. These grew amazingly well, and there were lots of plants to be enjoyed by pollinators as well as habitats created for spiders and insects.
We intend to open up to the public this Spring/Summer (2025) so everyone can see what we have done, how to do the same in other green spaces and gardens, as well as enjoy the loveliness of it all. Maybe your children would like a bit of pond dipping!
We still need volunteers, so give us a shout if you would like to help out! hello@wildchiswick.com
Below are some wildlife visitors!
Who says we do not work hard! Volunteers working on the pond at the Wildlife Allotment, Staveley Road. The allotment will have different areas that will be attractive to different animals. A variety of habitats is good for boidiversity. When finished, we hope people will visit and take away ideas for their own green spaces!
Why bother?
The more wildlife friendly green spaces we can make the better for biodiversity across Chiswick. Strong, healthy biodiversity is also good news for humans.
If you feel you can help us with this project and donate, please click on the button below. We are keen for more funding for planting.
