BOST is creating a wildlife area in Christ Church Garden, funded by The Big Lottery Fund's `Breathing Places' programme, Land Securities and The Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, and with support from Christ Church and Southwark Parks.

The wildlife area will be created in an existing border on the north side of the church, currently planted with unattractive `leggy' shrubs that provide hiding spaces for people to sleep out and use drugs, making the garden unsafe.  We want to make the border look beautiful and make it safer, by taking out the shrubs and planting new smaller shrubs, plants and flowers.  We also want to provide a place of refuge for local people to encounter wildlife amongst the new high rise building developments about to surround the garden.

By putting in special features and plants, including native species,  wildlife will want to come to the garden:

• log piles as homes for mini-beasts
• climbing plants and hedges for birds to nest
• flowers rich with nectar for bees and butterflies to eat
• boxes in the trees for bats to make their homes
• a bath for birds to drink and wash

We will start work at the end of February 2008 with the clearance of the existing shrubs, then we will plant from March through to May.

BOST is managing the project with Christ Church Garden steering group, made up of members of the local community.  We would love more people to join in with the digging, planting, mulching and watering, either individuals, or teams of people from local groups, businesses or schools.

Further information about the project is on display in Christ Church at 27 Blackfriars Road, SE1, Monday to Wednesday and Fridays, 10am-1pm.  Do pay a visit!

To find out more about volunteering, please contact Heather Carter at BOST on 020 7261 1009, email heather@bost.org.uk.

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