Hanover residents are taking to the streets to make their local area a nicer place to live by giving wildlife a helping hand.
The area around Hanover and Elm Grove is home to a number of green spaces maintained by the city council. But residents have been taking matters into their own hands, like the people of Cromwell Street who decided to get together and take care of the planted area at the end of their street during the Covid lockdowns.
“In Hanover, we don’t have much plant life or tree cover, but we do have these street planters which could be little oases of biodiversity,” says volunteer Jane Abbott.
Members of Hanover Action’s biodiversity group are now organising gardening events to protect and develop these small but vital green spaces and provide a home for nature.
To mark Great Big Green Week, which takes place from 6 to 14 June, the group is holding a community gardening session. They are inviting people to meet outside Elm Grove Café at 2pm on Saturday, 6 June, to get involved.
Thanks to funding from the Sussex Community Foundation, residents have added more native wildflowers that are loved by bugs and pollinators and more able to handle drier weather conditions. The area is also exempt from any pesticide spraying by the council to embrace wild plants wherever they make an appearance.
Every street plant can play a part in protecting species like swifts and starlings, says Karen James, a member of the group who also helps care for Cromwell Street’s planted area.
“We are one of the most depleted countries in the world for nature, which means we need to make the best use of any natural space that we have,” she says. “It really improves my wellbeing when I feel I am doing something to make a difference.”
“We are getting more and more volunteers who are coming along every month to help us with the planters,” says Jane. “People don’t realise they could do this for themselves if they wanted to.”
And she says it’s building a much-needed sense of community, with neighbours coming together for planting sessions or even just for a chat in the shaded areas. “Having those connections with the people you live side by side with is really important.”
As Cromwell Street resident Lory Stanciu explains: “It is so good for your mental health. I find it really relaxing being close to nature, making new friends and feeling part of the community.
“I feel like I’m involving myself in the community and it reminds me of my childhood – I grew up in Romania where my grandparents had a farm, so I feel I’m going back to basics being close to nature.”
Great Big Green Week will see more than a million people will come together this month to take action for their communities, for nature and for the climate.
“It really helps to know that you’re not alone,” says Karen. “It can feel quite isolating sometimes when you are just working on something in your own street. But knowing there are others, hearing their stories and sharing ours more widely… it’s a positive thing to be getting involved in.”
Jane adds: “It can help give people hope that things are happening and there are things they can get involved with as well.”
To find out more about Hanover Action’s events, visit their website or head to the Great Big Green Week’s event listings.
Hanover Action’s top tips for giving nature a helping hand
- Provide a water source for birds and insects: a shallow dish or saucer filled with rainwater, with a few pebbles so insects can land and drink safely, is ideal.
- Plant for pollinators: many flowering plants grow really well in pots, like lavender, rosemary or nasturtiums.
- Go chemical-free: avoid using synthetic insecticides and pesticides and allow natural predators like ladybirds to manage pests.
