Hednesford councillors appeal for green space inspiration

Hednesford residents are being urged to speak up about areas in the town that could become a colourful oasis of trees, wild flowers or plants.

The move is part of a plan adopted by Hednesford Town Council to introduce a ‘rewilding’ scheme on patches of neglected land or suitable road verges.

Keen gardeners are also being invited to take part in the initiative and help sow seeds that will blossom into the future – as well as protecting bees.

It’s hoped that by next spring ideas will have been acted upon to start to introduce the plants and return the land to a way that nature would have intended.

Councillor Mandy Dunnett said: “We want to hear from people with great ideas about areas of land they feel could benefit from wild flower planting.

“This could be near a school or in a cul-de-sac. It doesn’t matter how young or old we are, our wellbeing is improved by being surrounded by nature.

“There’s also a declining bee population and reintroducing plants can help make a difference.”

Cllr Dunnett added that rewilding areas of Hednesford would also mean local councils will spend less money on maintaining open spaces.

“This would mean that these areas didn’t need to be mowed so often,” she added.

“There is a cost in buying seeds but these can be very reasonable and there are opportunities through the Woodland Trust to get trees without an extra expense.”

She explained that many areas of the UK had already adopted rewilding, including Coventry and this had made a very positive effect.

If you would like to suggest areas to be rewilded in Hednesford, please contact Mandy or Councillor Paul Woodhead through the council website at  https://www.hednesford-tc.gov.uk/your-town-council/meet-your-councillors/ or got to the council’s facebook page and leave a comment.