GARNANT Family Centre Community Garden has benefitted from free National Garden Gift vouchers thanks to the ‘Have a Wild Weekend’ campaign run by Keep Wales Tidy and funded by Welsh Government’s Nature Fund.

Volunteers from Garnant Family Centre rolled up their sleeves and gave pollinators a helping hand when they found out they had been successful in applying for £500 – which they used to buy gardening gloves for the children, Peat Free Compost, pots and planters, fruit trees, herbs and wildflowers.

The aim of the ‘Have a Wild Weekend’ campaign is to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, as well as to help communities create new habitats and food sources for pollinators – by planting wild flower havens in unused spaces.

‘Have a Wild Weekend’ is part of the ‘Natural Buzz’ initiative run by Keep Wales Tidy, in partnership with the Horticultural Trade Association and Green Space Wales and funded by the Welsh Government’s Nature Fund.

Community environmental groups, schools, businesses, charitable organisations and local authorities across Wales were asked to apply for a ‘Wild Weekend’ grant of up to £500 to help them in their pollinator improvement projects.

As part of their environmental project, Garnant Family Centre Community Garden held two ‘Wild Wednesday’ events during the Easter holidays to celebrate butterflies and bees. The events included planting fruit trees, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, a herb garden and a wild flower area – which will benefit pollinators and also members of the community.

They also had fun activities including face painting, quizzes s and egg hunt, plus arts and crafts. The families were involved in all of the planting and can’t wait to see more bees and butterflies in the community garden.

Cherie Adamson, from the community garden said, “We were thrilled when we found out that we’d been successful in applying in for Garden Centre vouchers. ‘Wild Weekend’ has enables us to make a huge improvement to the pollen and nectar that’s on offer in Garnant and hopefully this will benefit our local environment and wildlife, as well as the local community.”

Lesley Jones, Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy, said: “I am delighted that so many groups across Wales got involved to help our pollinators and their natural environment. They have planted new flowering plants to attract our bees and butterflies as well as giving existing habitats a helping hand. Keep Wales Tidy would like to thank the Welsh Government for all their support, ensuring that the ‘Have a Wild Weekend’ has been a great success for people across Wales!."

For more information on the ‘Natural Buzz’ initiative, please e-mail wild@keepwalestidy.org or visit the website www.keepwalestidy.org.