Fancy getting away from the Christmas rush?
Get some fresh air, get fit, have fun and help wildlife. That’s the message as community venture Martineau Gardens is inviting people to join one of their monthly volunteer Winter Working days in the woodland at their Edgbaston site. The next one is Saturday 13th December between 10.30am and 3.30pm (booking essential).
The woodland at Martineau Gardens is designated a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation, and the winter working parties undertake conservation tasks to protect its wildlife biodiversity. Armed with secateurs, loppers, saws and spades, the volunteer team will be coppicing trees, cutting back bushes, digging out roots, pruning hedges and clearing brambles and ivy. Thinning out the vegetation allows more sunlight into the area, which encourages woodland flowers to appear, attracting insects and in turn, birds, bats and small mammals.
The Community Garden, which despite being so close to the city centre, is an urban oasis for wildlife. Pipistrelle bats,newts, hedgehogs, dragonflies, badgers, owls, buzzards and many species of fungi have all been spotted by wildlife recorders.
Caroline Hutton, Director of Martineau Gardens says: “Our regular daily volunteer days are over subscribed, so every winter we host working parties which gives everyone a chance to enjoy spending a few hours volunteering outdoors to help the wildlife and get close to nature.”
The Winter Working Days take place on Saturday 13th December, Saturday 10th January, Saturday 14th February and Saturday 14th March. It’s free to take part but volunteers need to book their place by ringing Martineau Gardens on 0121 440 7430. In the event of severe weather, work parties will be cancelled.