We applied for this grant because Newington Green, although revitalised and once again a well-used  green space, is a somewhat barren area as far as wildlife is concerned. We have made some surveys and these revealed that the Green had just one blackbird and an excessive number of feral pigeons - over 50 (so please don't feed them!) There were also 3 bumblebees on the lavender but they were not found elsewhere on the Green. There were no butterflies.

There are various reasons for this lack of wildlife that we are aware of:

• The Green itself is mostly cut off from other trees and planting, because of the surrounding roads and houses. This means that insects and birds find it hard to get to the Green which is like an isolated island.
• Secondly the huge old plane trees, although beautiful, are not very suitable for supporting wildlife and the under-planting has traditionally been put in without consideration for the needs of our wildlife. However, the latest planting at the southern end of the Green, plus the installation of a bird feeding station, has begun to change this a little so that robins and blue tits are now using the Green. Importantly, the last phase of planting which will take place this autumn, has been specifically chosen as being both attractive and wildlife friendly.
• As people have improved the condition of their houses and paved over their gardens, there has been a huge loss of places for birds to nest and for insects to hibernate and feed, which has lead to a drop in the numbers of many familiar species such as house sparrows and bumble bees. There are concerns that the effects of climate change will only make this situation worse.

Action

NGAG decided to take action in order to support wildlife both on and around the area of Newington Green. In so doing, we will also be making the Green a more interesting space where people will be able to connect with nature, albeit in a small way.

We applied for the Breathing Places grant in order to create wildlife habitats and begin to develop some wildlife corridors, so that birds and insects can move more easily between green spaces. We now have nearly £10,000 to do this.

We will be planting some street trees near to the Green, in order to link the Green with the surrounding area and improve air quality, reduce the 'urban heat island effect' and thus help to make the Green a real Breathing Place; we will erect bird, bat, butterfly and insect boxes both on the Green and in some of the streets; bird feeders will be put up;  we will install glass observation boxes on the Green so that children can see small creatures in their habitats; we will also be able to buy some binoculars and books so that people can see which birds and maybe even butterflies are around.

Volunteers needed

We now have some money and this project has to be completed in one year and we need your help to do this. We have formed a small Steering Group to decide on the fine details of planning and to look for further funding. We would welcome some more people to be part of this. We also need local people who live near to Newington Green who have gardens, houses, or balconies, to erect - and look after - a bird, butterfly or insect box that NGAG will be able to provide through the grant.

In particular, we would like to to help if you live in Ferntower Road, Mildmay Road or Winston Road as these are the first roads we hope to plant some trees in. We will also need help to water the new trees once planted and there may be other ways you could get involved.

If you would like to join in this project, please contact us as we would love to hear from you.