A DIFFERENT LIFE FOR AN OLD BOWLING GREEN

The old bowling green has not been used or maintained as such for over 10 years. It has however been used by FoBP as an important venue for park community events (FoBP Broomfield Park Events); for local school visits and providing a protected area for other groups such as Community Mental Health, Duke of Edinburgh volunteers, REACH (for excluded school children) and West Lea (complex SEN groups) and holiday tennis schools.

The green has become an important wildlife habitat supporting biodiversity in balance with the other functions. The substrate is a thin poorly fertile sandy layer on a hard sub base which drains well and allows particular wildflowers to thrive and prevents overgrowth of coarse grasses and brambles. In the summer many event visitors will have witnessed the large ‘clouds’ of minor bees suddenly emerging and buzzing (harmlessly) just above ground level. In the spring the green is covered in blooms of wildflowers (a mess to some!).

The FoBP Habitats group manage this with bi annual scything and removal of green hay for composting). A lot of work has been done to clear overgrown hedging and remove the concrete panels of the perimeter ditch and fill with grit for seeding with particular wildflowers to support particular butterflies. We are already seeing signs of success with return of common blue white letter hairstreak butterflies among others. 

We have been making bird and bat boxes with several of our groups and placing them around. Our local bird spotter reports a great variety of birds in the surrounds on the FoBP Facebook page.

Despite lacking the appearance of a pristine lawn there is an awful lot of volunteer work that goes into this, one of many areas actively worked on throughout the year. Come and join with FoBP, perhaps, contribute ideas to help improve your views and understanding as well as helping your own sense of health well-being from working outdoors with nature and other volunteers?