Nature For Us All - Recreation Ground, Martlesham
Nature for Us All
Nature for Us All, is a Martlesham Parish Council project at Martlesham Recreation Ground and Kronji's Piece, The Street, Martlesham.
The aim is to enable greater access to, and enjoyment of, nature and natural outdoor space for everyone, alongside the existing recreational uses on the site, and in keeping with its natural character as part of the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape area (formerly known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The site runs alongside the River Fynn and forms part of a wildlife corridor linking with Suffolk Wildlife Trust's wildlife reserve, Martlesham Wilds. The project will add to and complement the work that has taken place on the site over the years to date, much of it by volunteers, creating the existing planting and features.
It will be achieved through the following:
1) making accessibility and site use more inclusive (through design and additions) by recognising the different needs of existing and potential users of varying ages, abilities and circumstances.
2) Enrich the site by increasing opportunities for a more sensory experience of nature and the site for us all e.g. enhancing flora (encouraging the natural seedbank to grow, and with additional plants that are native or ancient introductions), encouraging greater diversity and abundance of wildlife on site, and incorporating additions such as tactile features, all in character with the site.
Initial actions already implemented have been to leave some grass areas uncut through summer so allowing wildflowers to grow and bloom, with paths mown through them, not cutting grass too short in other general recreational areas to encourage low growing flowering plants, and the planting of native trees and shrubs.
Next Phase - Kronji's Piece
The next phase is Area One project, alongside the car park. It includes an inclusive path which will make the area more accessible. There will also be seating, with space for wheelchairs, walking aids, prams, buggies etc. Shallow swales provide surface water drainage tying in with future potential car park and track improvements; they also provide different conditions for wild plants. Soil from the works is being kept on site by creating low mounds that wrap around the seats and path and bring the grass, wildflowers, and insect life nearer eye level to appreciate. The existing wildflower and grass seeds in the mounds' soil will be allowed to grow. In the future some of the grass areas will be allowed to remain uncut over summer, encouraging wildflowers and wildlife. Other features and planting will gradually be added after the hard landscaping and earthworks are completed, as the project progresses.
Watch this space!
We hope you enjoy the site!
Project Area One
Now that the hard landscaping and earthworks are completed work has started on other features on the site.
Wednesday 22nd October
Charlie Zakss, Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT), ran a session at Woodbridge Library making insect homes from natural materials (e.g. bark and twigs tied together), plus small wooden plaques decorated with drawings of minibeasts, with the Open Space Wellbeing Group.
Tuesday 28th October
Martlesham in Bloom organised and liaised with SCL Landscape Management Ltd getting the stakes for the dead hedge and putting them in for us on the morning of Tuesday 28 October, and transporting native hedge prunings for us to the site.
The young people of Suffolk Sight Juniors arrived with their family and friends. Charlie (SWT) and Sonya (project designer) introduced the session and the Nature for Us All Project. They all then set to work very enthusiastically digging a hole at the end of one section of dead hedge for a stag beetle home and cutting up pieces of bamboo cane for insect homes and a hexagonal solitary bee home. All of the dead hedge material was put in between the posts, logs were put into the hole for the stag beetles and the insect homes made by the Open Space well-being group were incorporated into the dead hedge.
Both sessions were a great success with both groups keen to meet up again doing nature based activities.
