Allerdale Borough Council and Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) have been allocated part of this funding which will help restore and create over 100 acres of habitat as part of the Get Cumbria Buzzing project, which aims to tackle the decline of bees and other pollinators.
The cash will be provided over the next three years. It will be used to create havens for wild pollinators such as bumblebees, hoverflies, solitary bees and butterflies.
The work will include planting plugs, trees and native Cumbrian wildflowers alongside other shrubs and bulbs, attracting pollinating insects to the areas.
So far 17 sites have been earmarked, including Maryport Promenade, Derwent Howe slag banks and Workington Hall Park, and the Solway Coast AONB sites including Crosscanonby, Beckfoot Dunes, Saltcoates and Port Carlisle.
They are intended to create a series of pollinator-friendly stepping stones along Allerdale’s coastline, increasing connectivity and enabling insects and other wildlife to move more freely throughout the area and across North West Cumbria.
The council and AONB team will work with the community and other organisations to encourage local involvement in the improvement and maintenance of these sites.
Councillor George Kemp, Executive Member for Environmental Quality, said: “We’re proud to be part of this initiative which will help breathe new life into some of our parks and open spaces.”
Chris Spencer, Deputy Manager, Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, said: “Solway Coast AONB are delighted to be a part of this project and the opportunity to create and improve the species rich meadow habitats that contribute so much to the outstanding natural beauty of the Solway Coast.”
Get Cumbria Buzzing in North-West Cumbria aims to get parks, school grounds and other green spaces around Workington, Whitehaven, Maryport and the Solway Coast buzzing with bees and pollinators.
The ground-breaking project will also see Cumbria Local Nature Partnership work with Highways England and Cumbria Wildlife Trust to get local people buzzing with activity to boost numbers of bumblebees and other wild pollinators and halt their decline.
To find out more about the Get Cumbria Buzzing project, visit: https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/about/what-we-do/living-landsca…
Developed by Cumbria Local Nature Partnership, and delivered by Cumbria Wildlife Trust, ‘Get Cumbria Buzzing’ is a three-year project that includes a wide range of partners who have joined forces to help reverse the decline of pollinators across Northwest Cumbria. They are: Allerdale Borough Council, Buglife, Butterfly Conservation, Copeland Borough Council, Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre, Florence Arts Centre, Highways England, National Trust, Solway AONB and Workington Nature Partnership.
This £1.6 million project has been made possible by National Lottery Players and support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Highways England, Allerdale Borough Council, Cumbria Local Nature Partnership, Solway AONB, Tesco and Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust.
Administered by Cumbria Community Foundation, the following organisations have also funded the project: Robin Rigg West Cumbria Fund, Fairfield Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund, Winscales Moor Community Benefit Fund and United Utilities Legacy Fund.
