Whittington and Fisherwick Environment Group (WFEG) was awarded £2,000 towards its Wildlife Meadow on a neglected piece of land in Whittington, in the 2017-18 PEBBLE grant period.


The award was match funded by the Parish Council which contributed £2,750 and fundraising from WFEG which contributed £1,620. The aim of the project was to clear a neglected and underused area of the Village of Whittington, with the view of creating a wildlife haven and an attractive, usable community space.

WFEG used a qualified contractor to remove the existing weeds and vegetation from the site and then cultivated the soil to improve its condition. The group used 20 volunteers, including children from local groups and two South Staffs Water employees, to spread compost, plant seeds, lay meadow turf, weed and water the new vegetation.

Photo shows children volunteering to spread the compost and, later, the wildflower meadow during July 2018. (Photos by kind permission of Whittington and Fisherwick Environment Group).
The residents of Whittington are already expressing their support and gratitude to the group for this project and its work. However, WFEG intends to further increase the biodiversity on the site by installing a pebble pond, bird and bat boxes, insect hotels and by sowing native wildflower seed in additional areas. The group will continue to work with youth organisations in the village and develop the community engagement at the site, making this area a well-loved area for community wellbeing and a space for nature to thrive.

The project:

• Used 40 tonnes of compost and 1.5kg of flower seed which was spread over 1000m²
• Has laid 80m² of quilt meadow turf
• Planted six fruit trees, four fruit bushes and several hundred bulbs including crocus, daffodil, cyclamen and anemone.