Wildflower area planned for Victoria Park

Following the success of the wildflower meadow, which was planted at Newbury’s City Recreation Ground last year, a new wildflower area is being proposed for the town’s Victoria Park. The design will incorporate a wildflower strip along the bank that runs adjacent to Park Way.

Victoria Park has been awarded Green Flag status for the last two years and the wildflower area will add to the biodiversity in this beautiful green space in the centre of town but will not impact on the existing facilities in the Park.

The wildflowers and flowering plants give a number of benefits including:

• Plant diversity attracts insects and other invertebrates (including butterflies, bees, spiders and millipedes), birds and mammals

• Flowering species add a changing palate of colour to the urban environment throughout the seasons

Cllr John Gage, Chair of the Green Spaces Working Group, said:

We planted a very successful wildflower meadow at City Recreation Ground last year. It looked beautiful throughout the summer as well as creating a haven for bees and other insects.

Wildflowers should help to attract beneficial insects into the area that feed on the wildflowers and make their home in them. In turn, these insects help to fertilise our crops to grow produce for us to eat and the insects are food for other wildlife.

By planting this area, we hope to see more butterflies, bumblebees and other insects.

The seeding is proposed for March 2021 and the council would welcome any feedback about the plans.

Please email [email protected] or write to the Town Hall, Market Place, RG14 5AA with your thoughts.

Image by Eric.Ray cropped Flickr CCL