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More wildflower meadows created in Bootle – June 2024

Community efforts to improve air quality in Bootle and combat climate change are continuing with the creation of additional wildflower meadows in the town.

Social enterprise Regenerus is taking the lead on growing the local mosaic of wildflower plots, adding nature to the urban landscape and transforming spaces of low ecological value to increase biodiversity and capture more carbon.

The organisation has received support from the Breathe Better Air Community Fund, a partnership between the Community Foundation for Merseyside, the UK Community Foundation and the Clean Air Fund.

The latest developments have seen a new meadow created at a previously ‘unloved’ spot by Peter Mahon Way, thanks to help from local residents, children from All Saints Catholic Primary School, Scouse Flowerhouse and Sefton Council’s Green Sefton initiative.

With sustainability in mind, the plan is for this to become a crop field meadow to produce seeds for all the existing and future meadows in Bootle.

Meanwhile, with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the local community have created a new wildflower corridor along the railings of Peel Road Park, bringing a splash of colour to the neighbourhood and adding biodiversity.

And elsewhere in the town, alternative approaches to developing natural spaces on brownfield sites are being tested with new substrate plots at Irlam Road and Moore Street.

The aim is to show how wildflowers can thrive in low-nutrient substrates. These plots use a mix of recycled local rubble – known as Mersey Grit – and biochar, an amazing substance which draws and stores carbon from the atmosphere. Every kilogram used removes around three kilograms of carbon.

As part of this process, a new smokeless kiln has been built to burn wood waste from local community gardens and create a local source of biochar, reducing the amount of transport emissions used on removing this waste from the area.

Commenting on these recent developments, Ruth Livesey of Regenerus said: “Apart from creating areas of beauty in neglected spaces, and making residents happier and healthier as a result, the meadows are playing a vital role in addressing the climate emergency.

“According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, wildflower meadows can remove as much carbon as woodland, and also reduce greenhouse gasses, both vital elements in helping us fight climate change.”