NatureEd helping connect people with nature at Hollingworth Lake

HerBEE Gardens, bee hotel beside the Hollingworth Lake Visitor Centre

The official launch of NatureEd CIC, a social enterprise based at the Hollingworth Lake Visitor Centre that provides environmental and countryside education in Rochdale, took place last Wednesday (1 June).

NatureEd worked with the Ranger Service and Green Volunteers to plant over 300 wildflower plugs in the WW1 Ealees Training Camp Commemorative Meadow. This is part of a larger project initiated by Rangers and funded by Lancashire Wildlife Trust reclaiming our grasslands and returning them to traditional hay meadows. A further 50 edible herb plants were used to create HerBEE Gardens, some to be taken home while others were put around the Ranger’s new bee hotel beside the Visitor Centre.

Jude Murray, a Director of NatureEd CIC, said: “NatureEd CIC is all about helping connect people with nature and these activities certainly did this. Everyone seemed to enjoy helping and hearing more about bees. The children were really proud of their HerBEE Gardens and particularly loved trying on local bee keeper Lisa Burke’s protective hat.

It’s also great to know that the Nature Ninjas will be continuing to help look after the garden. The Ninjas are a newly formed group of young people who meet on a regular weekly basis and, with NatureEd’s expertise, are working towards achieving their John Muir Award, a nationally recognised environmental award.

"The project is being run in partnership with Barnardo’s. We’d also like to say a special thanks to Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Manchester City of Trees for providing the plants and the Council for their continued support.”