A wonderful morning was recently spent in Broomfield Park with a delightful group of young ecologists eager to learn how to create hoverfly lagoons. These vital pollinators will benefit from lots of support, and our young friends have begun what is hoped to be a vital, sustainable process.
Meet the Team Behind the Lagoons
HELEN BLAIRMAN: The initiative was led by Helen Blairman, a Friends of Broomfield Park (FoBP) Trustee who heads our education programme.
Helen is renowned for helping local schoolchildren discover nature through hands-on learning experiences across the park's wetlands, orchards, and wildlife habitats.
KATHRIN SPINNLER: Co-leading the project was Kathrin Spinnler, a dedicated member of the FoBP horticulture team since 2021 with a passion for wildlife-friendly gardening. Kathrin was the inspiration behind this interactive family learning workshop, which encourages families to discover the hidden world of pollinators. "By volunteering locally even for an hour or two a week, setting up a tiny habitat or growing a single pollinator-friendly flower, we can make a real difference to our lives and the wider neighbourhood," Kathrin said.
An Unqualified Success
As a new activity this year, the workshop proved to be an unqualified success, receiving rewarding feedback from participating children, parents, and grandparents. Open to children aged 6–10, the fully booked session allowed families to discover one of nature’s cleverest tricksters and build mini water habitats based on scientific research from the University of Sussex.
Hoverflies are highly effective natural pollinators and aphid predators. Because mature tree "rot-holes" are increasingly missing from urban landscapes, these man-made micro-habitats provide perfect, safe nurseries for their larvae. Participants were able to take their completed lagoons home to place on balconies or in gardens.
Get Involved with FoBP
Due to the positive response, the education team hopes to repeat this workshop alongside similar projects for different minibeasts in the future. Sign up to our email newsletter to keep in touch.
Be sure to look out for more fascinating environmental projects coming soon!
