The project seeking to bring wild-to-life in Lockleaze

A new climate project is taking place in Lockleaze focussing on building community around nature.

The Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust is investing its three-year National Lottery award in transforming the area.

Rewilding Lockleaze is part of a wider community climate action project across the city and is led by the Bristol Green Capital Partnership.

Suzanne Wilson, the trust’s chief executive, said the project aims to promote and support a love for nature while showing residents how they can make a difference in their homes and communities.

“We have 41 acres of grass verges and street greens in Lockleaze and we will work with residents and Bristol City Council to manage at least 30 per cent of this for nature. In Lockleaze, action is likely to be wildflower meadows, tree planting, hedge laying,” she said.

Any green space can be rewilded and, even gardens can contribute to Bristol’s wildlife – photo: Rewilding Lockleaze

Beyond public spaces, Rewilding Lockleaze also seeks to explore different actions people can take at home, starting from setting up gardens that can be wildlife-friendly, planting wildflowers and trees, or even making space for ponds.

Attracting pollinators is a major concern for this project due to their dramatic decline since 1850. Lockleaze residents have shown their concern about potentially losing valuable habitat due to 23 upcoming housing project proposals.

“Insects are essential to crops grown by humans and are an essential part of the ecosystem for pest control, pollination, and as food for birds. Pollinators are the bedrock of the food system, if they are threatened so is everything else. They are in decline due to habitat loss, pesticides and pollutants, pathogens and parasites, and climate change,” Wilson said.

The power of community

The climate action project has been built upon local interests, working closely with Lockleaze residents on “designing and redefining” it.

Through empowering Lockleaze residents, creating spaces for learning and taking action, Rewilding Lockleaze focuses on building a community around the power and beauty of nature.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cka8LO3jQN8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“We want to create great habitat for nature and create residents who are informed and confident about nature-based solutions and keen to learn more. We will support residents to take action in their own garden and provide opportunities for learning and trying out their skills across the community,” said Wilson.

Another part of the project includes the community in monitoring species of birds, bats, butterflies and reptiles.

Community feasts, fixing bikes, and more 

Working with different organisations such as Secret Soup and Dr. Bike, Rewilding Lockleaze has in-store community feasts, fixing bikes for sustainable travel, and a wide range of activities.

Their offer includes training local residents in pond creation, tree planting, and planning spaces for pollinators to revitalise nature in the area.

Wilson added: “As part of measuring the impact of what we do we will be training local residents in collecting data about our impact on nature – butterfly counts, bat and reptile surveys joining in where we can on national surveys, so we can add to national data sets as well as building our own understanding of wildlife in Lockleaze.”

Gardens are vital in Rewilding Lockleaze plans’ as well for the overall sustainability strategy in the city, they take about 29 per cent of land in urban areas.

“Part of our project is equipping people to make changes in their own gardens a programme of training and engagement to support action in private gardens which make up the largest land for nature in cities, so gardens are an essential part of rewilding strategy in a city,” she pointed out.

What the future holds for Lockleaze? Wilson strongly believes in keeping up with the good work, saying “we will be continuing our work with residents to identify which greens they want to rewild, and designing what they want to see.”

She extended an invite for all residents looking to get involved, with their next community feast is on February 5.

This piece of independent journalism is supported by NatWest and the Bristol24/7 public and business membership

Main photo: Rewilding Lockleaze 

Read next:

• Council’s climate emergency action plan criticised 
• ‘How can we reach net zero when our public transport system is in shambles?’ 
• Inside a Just Stop Oil meeting in Bristol 
• The Bristol climate experts who went to COP27 on its outcomes 

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: