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Welcome to our spring newsletter

Summary
Making Space for Nature (MS4N) is a European Regional Development Fund project totalling £3million, with 80% provided by ERDF and match funding from Cornwall Council and University of Exeter.  The project started in August 2019 and we finish in December 2022.
 
Our team is working with Cormac to deliver 30+ hectares of improved public open spaces for wildlife and people. These greenspaces are in 7 towns; Bodmin, Falmouth, Launceston, Liskeard, Newquay, Penryn and St. Austell.  Full information about the project can be found on the website Making Space for Nature - Cornwall Council

Highlights
A quick run-down of what we achieved so far.

  • 22 sites completed, 2 to go.
  • 28.8 hectares improved, 1.5 ha to complete
  • Helping nature recover in 7 towns with new meadows, orchards, pollinator planting, small wetlands, woodland, trees and hedges.
  • Community Engagement: A wide range of events, including gardening sessions with Becky our Urban Ranger, volunteer days with community organisations, businesses and local schools. We are connecting people with nature to improve wellbeing and inspire action to care for habitats.
What's On
We have plenty of upcoming events across our sites to keep you busy this spring. All our Urban Ranger sessions are held from 10am-1pm and for more information contact Becky at volunteers@cormacltd.co.uk
  • Liskeard:
    1. Two volunteer gardening sessions are scheduled for Castle Park on May 11th and June 8th 10am-1pm, contact alex.denney@cornwall.gov.uk for more information
  • Bodmin:
    1. Kinsman Estate: Urban Ranger volunteer gardening sessions every second Thursday of the month from May 12th, June 9th, July 14th. Meet at the community hub.
    2. Tredanek Meadows: Urban Ranger volunteer gardening sessions on, April 29th, May 20th, June 17th. There will also be a Nature Celebration Event on July 9th exact details to be confirmed at a later date. Contact Alex for more information alex.denney@cornwall.gov.uk
    3. Burgage Plots Woodland: we will be holding a bat walk on July 14th, exact times still to be confirmed, for more information contact alex.denney@cornwall.gov.uk
  • Newquay at Listry Road Recreation ground:
    1. Urban Ranger volunteer gardening sessions on, May 19th, June 16th, July 21st.
    2. Bug hotel building with the 1st Newquay Scout group in May, date to be confirmed.
    3. Nature Celebration Event on June 23rd – save the date in your diary
  • Falmouth:
    1. Tregoniggie Woodland event April 30th
    2. Swanvale Open Space: We’re planning on setting up a few green gardening sessions at Swanvale, if you’d be interested in getting involved, please get in touch with karen.hall@cornwall.gov.uk
  • Penryn:
    1. Glasney College Field and Saracen Woods - Urban Ranger gardening sessions to be held on, May 27th, June 24th, July 22nd.
    2. Trelawney Park: Urban ranger gardening sessions, May 13th, June 10th, July 8th. A Nature Celebration Event is also planned for June 11th.
    3. Permarin Park: Summer opening Celebration date tbc.
    4. Penryn Campus: The University of Exeter is holding a Bioblitz on April 30th between 6am and 9pm at the Penryn Campus. For more information check the BioBlitz Penryn Facebook Page.
  • St Austell:
    1. Cemetery Park: Urban Ranger gardening sessions to be held on, May 5th, July 7th  
To stay up to date with all our events keep an eye on our Let’s Talk Cornwall page where we will be posting updates and additions to the schedules  https://letstalk.cornwall.gov.uk/making-space-for-nature
Site Focus: Permarin Park - Penryn
Permarin Park is one of our smallest sites and is in partnership with Cornwall Housing Ltd. Previously it was a small area of grass that local residents simply referred to as ‘Two Swings’ because that, and an old bench, was all it offered.

The revitalised park now boasts a brand-new path, 7 fruit trees, 2 large sensory beds, 1 wildlife friendly shrub bed and 100m2 of wildflower meadow. Many thanks to local residents and Penryn College Gardening Club for their brilliant volunteering!  

Yet to come are 2 picnic benches, 2 spring rockers, an inclusive roundabout and the refurbishment of the old swings and bench.
Before
Permarin Park before works started. A small area of grass with one old set of swings and a bench.
Permarin Park now. A path now winds its way through the park with sensory beds planted along it. The groundworks for the inclusive roundabout have gone in ahead of it's installation this summer.
Permarin Park has hosted several volunteer sessions with local residents planting the sensory beds and fruit trees, as well as students from Penryn College gardening club getting involved with a wildflower meadow creation day. 
Nature Tips for Summer
•    Plantlife’s ‘No Mow May’: This is probably one of the easiest things you will ever do to help wildlife! Simply lock away your mower on May 1st and then sit back and watch the flowers grow. If you like what you see in No Mow May, keep an eye out for their Let it Bloom June, and Knee-High July campaigns.

•    ‘Every Flower Counts’: After No Mow May, Plantlife will be conducting their annual wildflower survey, Every Flower Counts. This is a great way to see and understand the plant biodiversity in your garden, and they will be sharing many tips on what you can do to improve it.

•    Build a Bug Hotel: So, now that your garden is full of wildflowers it is great time to add a bug hotel to encourage all those pollinators to move in. The RSPB and Woodland Trust have some great guides and advice on their websites on how to build one. 

•    Create a Hedgehog Highway: Too many bugs in the garden now? Why not create a hedgehog highway! Hedgehogs have adapted well to the urban environment, but panel fencing can block them from getting into gardens. An easy solution is to simply cut a small hole at the bottom of your fence and before you know it, you’ll have hedgehogs gobbling up all those pesky slugs. 
Photo Gallery
We look Forward to seeing what the summer will bring to our parks and we will leave you with a selection of recent pictures taken across the MS4N sites.
The daffodils across the Kinsman Estate, Bodmin are in full bloom and if you look closely you might spot a few fritillaries as well.
Tredanek Meadows, Bodmin looks great in the early spring sunshine and the benches are getting plenty of use from residents and cyclists riding the Camel Trail.
At Trelawney Park, Penryn the spring bulbs are coming up between the refurbished benches and the lady bird sculpture has just been installed, it looks fantastic and is well worth a visit. 
Green Infrastructure for Growth 2 is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund

Our mailing address is: spacefornature@cornwall.gov.uk
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Find out more at our website: Making Space for Nature - Cornwall Council
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Making Space for Nature · Pydar House · Pydar Street, Newham · Truro, Cornwall TR1 1XU · United Kingdom

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