A community centre in Bristol has been transformed into a butterfly haven thanks to the efforts of hundreds of local schoolchildren.
Pupils from Badock’s Wood Community Primary School spent their summer holidays creating an outdoor butterfly garden at the Greenway Centre and Café in Southmead.
The work was led by wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation (BC) as part of their ‘Munching Caterpillars’ education project, which is being taken into primary schools across the city to teach children about butterflies, moths and the importance of helping our pollinating insects.
BC’s Project Officer, Matthew Brierley, said: “Munching Caterpillars is all about reconnecting children with nature and we wanted to use this to help the centre by making the community garden a safer space for kids to explore nature in.
“The idea of painting butterfly murals came next and we commissioned a butterfly-themed gate to help keep the children safe in the garden. We wanted the café’s outside space to be a warm and welcoming place that also showcases the UK’s butterflies.”
Every child aged between seven and eleven at Badock’s Wood helped create their own moths to hang inside the café and student volunteers from the University of the West of England (UWE) also helped the children to plant up the community garden with pollinator friendly flowers and plants.
Local artist, Phil Root, created the butterfly murals, including a huge set of butterfly wings for people to be photographed in front of and a member of BC’s Somerset and Bristol Branch, Keith Gould, created the butterfly-themed gate for the garden.
The Greenway Centre and Café is a local community hub and business centre situated at the top of Doncaster Road in Southmead. It is run by the Southmead Development Trust - a charity which works in partnership with other community groups and charities to raise funds and manage projects which directly address the community's needs and aim to increase opportunities, reduce isolation and promote wellbeing.
Matt added: “Thank you to everyone involved in making this a success. The children should be very proud of what they’ve achieved here and it’s been great to finally unveil their work to the rest of the community to see and enjoy.”
To find out more about ‘Munching Caterpillars’ or to invite the team to your school, please email Matt Brierley.
About Munching Caterpillars
BC's Education Project was piloted across Dorset and Somerset between 2012 and 2015. In 2017 the project was rolled out across Bristol and if it proves a success, BC hopes to take it into other towns and cities across the country. Munching Caterpillars is funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery and Ernest Cook Trust.