The Wellhead Gardens wildlife habitat

A major transformation took place in the Wellhead Gardens during the summer of 2011 and around St Peter’s Pool in particular where volunteers cleared and planted an unsightly area of small ponds along the river and around the lake.

The work was part of a £10,000 environmental project by Bourne United Charities which administers the park and carried out by Bourne Green Gardeners (formerly Bourne Green Gym) to turn a neglected area in a wildlife habitat surrounded by water.

A major feature of the project was the installation of two wooden bridges over the ponds and the Bourne Eau where it runs along the edge of the old cress beds and was completed in August with the help of Groundwork Lincolnshire together with a connecting boardwalk pathway through the area which is rich in flora and fauna, the island being home to ducks and coots as well as an army of amphibians and small mammals, but has always been inaccessible to the public.

Groundwork Lincolnshire is an independent local charity, a county environmental and economic development trust designed to help people and organisations make changes in order to create better neighbourhoods, to build skills and job prospects, and to live and work in a greener way. The money to fund this project was awarded by NHS Lincolnshire to encourage people take exercise outdoors. As a result, some of it was spent on stepping logs which may be used for balancing exercises, a pursuit that is unlikely to disturb the neighbouring wildlife.

This was a small project in the fifty-year history of the Wellhead Gardens but one that not only embraced the growing awareness of protecting and improving our environment but also added yet another feature to this valuable open space just a short step from the town centre at Bourne.

MORE VIEWS OF THE WILDLIFE HABITAT
In the summer of 2014, some of the undergrowth alongside the walkway was cut back to allow more light and this provided a far more pleasant habit for both wildlife and walkers.

See also Bourne Green Gardeners

Return to The Wellhead Gardens