Author: Maggie

Pollination Street

Warminster Plan Bee Community Project brings people, places and biodiversity together and is the brainchild of Sustainable Warminster working in partnership with the MOD and other major landowners and organisations. The aim is to enhance the land around the town of Warminster to support and reverse the decline of our native bees and other important pollinators, by adopting the mantra taken from the Lawton Principles of ‘Making Space for Nature: A review of England’s Wildlife Sites and Ecological Network’, bigger, better, and more joined up.

This means: • Protecting what we have while improving its quality with better management; • Increasing the size of wildlife sites; • Enhancing connection by creating new wildlife corridors or stepping stones; • Creating new sites; • Reducing pressure on wildlife by improving the wider environment including buffering wildlife sites.

The recently formed Warminster Garrison Environmental Committee, has been working with its Industry Partners and Sustainable Warminster to help meet its and the MODs wider responsibilities to Sustainability and in particular Biodiversity, with its Green Space Enhancements across the Warminster Garrison footprint in support of Warminster Plan Bee (WPB).

Pollination Street – A Giving Back (Social Values) Initiative

WPB and its latest Pollination Street initiative is aligned with the aspirations set out in the UK’s Greening Government Commitments and the Ministry of Defence Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach. The Strategy includes targets to create 30,000m2 of pollinator friendly habitat by 2025, 75,000m2 by 2030 and a goal to reach 100,000m2 by 2040. This supports the MOD strategic approach by helping to implement the Nurturing Nature Programme.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) introduced the DIOGivingBack campaign in January 2024. Leveraging the principles outlined in the Government Social Value Model, the DIOGivingBack campaign aims to create substantial and measurable social value through targeted actions and strategic partnerships. In particular, the initiative has established a cohesive partnership with the Social Value Leads from Amey, VIVO and Pinnacle to deliver joint social value impact. Standing shoulder to shoulder, contributing to the well-being of service families, communities and the environment.

Pollination Street combines these initiatives and provides a unique delivery mechanism to achieve tangible results for all concerned.

Illustrated Wildflower Talk

Wednesday April 23rd, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Cost £2.00

Venue – Warminster Civic Centre

Talk by Paul Jupp of Meadow in my Garden

This will be a strategic talk about biodiversity in our private gardens, and in public green spaces. When we tend our gardens with wildlife in mind we open up a world of possibility. 

In the face of ever encroaching concrete and tarmac, loss of wild spaces and social isolation, we can and must make a positive difference. By reclaiming patches of ground for wildlife in our gardens and in our neighbourhoods, we can transform monoculture into something more colourful and meaningful as well as supporting vital pollinators.

Smallbrook Road Closure

Hooray! There is now some protection for the local population of toads during their annual migration to breeding ponds.

Pregnant female toad
Female Toad

Wiltshire Council have put in place a Traffic Regulation Order, restricting motor traffic along parts of Smallbrook Road, for the toad migration season. The road is closed to motor traffic between 5pm and 5am, from 1st February to 30th April, so it is now in force. This TRO has the support of Wiltshire Police. Smallbrook Road car park and Wheelers Lane can still be accessed from Gipsy Lane / Southleigh View. Henfords Marsh can still be accessed from Upper Marsh Road and Lower Marsh Road.

The stretch of Smallbrook Road between the car park and the junction with Henfords Marsh is the protected area, and can no longer be used as a cut-through during evening and night time. This is the same bit of road that frequently floods in heavy rain. The road is not physically blocked off during the night time hours, but it is being monitored. Pedestrians, cyclists and horses are not affected by this order.

Full details published by Wiltshire Council can be found here.