Garden set up for social prescribing wins award

6 hours ago

Clare Ainsworth

BBC News, South West

Downhorn Park in Plymstock has earned a Wildlife Garden Award

Devon Wildlife Trust A group of three people gather around one of three raised beds cut into the grass of Downhorn Park. To the right there is a wildlife area with colourful poppies and other wildflowers — Downhorn Park in Plymstock has earned a Wildlife Garden Award

A community garden set up to support social prescribing has become Devon's 1,000th official wildlife garden.

Friends of Downhorn Park in Plymstock, near Plymouth, started the wildlife garden with the aim of transforming a neglected green space while providing opportunities for community volunteering.

The garden, which includes a bug hotel and flourishes without the use of pesticides, has now earned Devon Wildlife Trust's 1,000th Wildlife Garden Award.

Colin Munn, chairman of the Friends of Downhorn Park, said: "Wildlife gardening is really important because the decline in habitat for wildlife is massive."

The Friends of Downhorn Park receive their award from Devon Wildlife Trust's Hetty Lewis

Devon Wildlife Trust Five members of the Friends of Downhorn Park, one with a small dog on a lead, receive their award from Devon Wildlife Trust's Hetty Lewis. The group are standing in the garden in the sunshine — The Friends of Downhorn Park receive their award from Devon Wildlife Trust's Hetty Lewis

Mr Munn said the garden was created in 2022 by a group concerned the green space was becoming degraded and with the hope of helping a local doctor.

"A local GP was interested in the idea of a community garden for their social prescribing," he said.

Social prescribing connects patients with community activities and groups, rather than solely relying on medical treatments, according to the NHS.

Since establishing Friends of Downhorn Park, the garden has become a haven for wildlife with areas to help pollinators, hundreds of trees and a bug hotel, said the group.

Listen to the latest news for Devon

It also has benches for visitors and raised beds containing a range of flowers, herbs, and vegetables.

Mr Munn said: "Wildlife gardening is really important because the decline in habitat for wildlife is massive.

"In cities and suburban areas like this is, although there are a lot of gardens, it's really important that gardens have wildlife at their heart."

Since its launch in 2021, the Wildlife Garden Award has been used to recognise the spread of nature-friendly garden practices, said the Devon Wildlife Trust.

Hetty Lewis, from the trust, said they were thrilled to have reached 1,000 awards.

"It's a real testament to how much people across Devon care about nature," she said.

"In the three years since launching the scheme, we've seen people planting for pollinators, creating ponds, seed swapping with neighbours, and so much more."

Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].