Wild Flower Garden For Dukes Meadows

Derelict paddling pools brought back to life with a little help from friends

With the help of a Breathing Spaces lottery grant and Barratt Homes a new wildflower garden is being created in the old derelict paddling pools on Dukes Meadows.

The project was initiated by environmental charity Dukes Meadows Trust in partnership with CiP whose ecologist Chris Slack provided expertise on creating the right habitat to encourage wildflowers and insects.

The pools have been left in place, which is more environmentally friendly than removing the concrete slabs, and drainage has been created by breaking up the surface. Barratt has provided and transported gravel from its site at the Great West Quarter site in Brentford. The gravel is from excavations in the old river bed, so the material is typical of the kind of habitat that would have been on the banks of the Thames and is ideal for a wildflower garden.

Wildflower plug plants have been ordered and potted up to grow on in the Chiswick House Kitchen Garden by children from St Mary’s Primary School. In the next few months the plants will be transferred to the garden and new benches, a gate and a sign are to be installed.

Kathleen Healy, Chair of Dukes Meadows Trust, said “We are very grateful to Barratt for the time and effort they took in providing the gravel and putting it carefully into place. This is a really good way of turning the derelict pools into something lovely that people can enjoy. We also thank St Mary’s School, CiP, the Kitchen Garden Association and of course the Lottery.”

To volunteer with Dukes Meadows Trust email dmtrust@btconnect.com

January 31, 2008