Community volunteers who revitalised a disused pond into a valuable environmental asset have been nominated in a nationwide competition as Cultivation Street heroes.
The project has been entered into the Sustainability and Community category, supported by the Prince Charles’ Princes Foundation for Building Community in the new Cultivation Street competition, sponsored by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA).
The hard working team of 20 volunteers from Cupar, Fife have been working with their local council to build a wildlife walk, bird feeding station and insect hotel as part of the Tarvit Estate project.
The area has now been transformed into a site that schoolchildren can use for outdoor learning and a once deserted piece of land has become a beautiful and much loved area for walkers, wildlife, bird lovers and local people.
Sustainability has been a key factor in the regeneration of the area with more than 1,000 recycled bluebells, begonias and tulip bulbs from the town’s previous displays being planted around the pond.
A sedum roof has been created to welcome butterflies and other winged insects to the pond, and an insect hotel has been built from round logs, dried leaves, teasels, moss, sisal and bark to provide a safe habitat for creatures.
Volunteer Mary Law, 76 said: “The whole community has rallied round and what was a mostly forgotten part of an old estate has become a lovely community facility.”
The HTA is contributing £17,000 worth of National Garden Gift Vouchers to ‘Cultivation Street’, a competition launched by David Domoney and the Sunday People.
The competition consists of a number regional heats and categories and culminates in the title of Britain’s Best Street Award, with a prize of £10,000 of National Garden Gift Vouchers for the winner.
As well as the HTA, the competition has attracted support from many industry bodies including the IoH, GCA and GIMA.
There is a full range of Cultivation Street POS available for HTA members. Email nggv@the-hta.org.uk for more details.
The competition launched at the end of May and winners will be notified on 8 September. For more information, visit www.cultivationstreet.co.uk
Sustainability has been a key factor in the regeneration of the area with more than 1,000 recycled bluebells, begonias and tulip bulbs from the town’s previous displays being planted around the pond.
