Blending community spirit and creative competition to foster engagement with the environment, local housebuilder David Wilson Homes has recently introduced an urban wetland to its Applegate Park development in Sittingbourne. The pond has been named by a student from ALP Sittingbourne. The site has also welcomed five interactive bird song panels, all playing sounds of popular birds spotted in Swale.
According to research conducted by conservation charity the Wildfowls & Wetlands Trust (WWT), in urban areas, where 84% of people in the UK live, access to nature is often inadequate . In recognition of this shortcoming, David Wilson Kent unveiled a new pond at its Applegate Park development recently, creating a dedicated space for nature within the hustle and bustle of the area. Alongside the pond, the housebuilder also installed new birdsong panels, evoking a soothing soundscape for residents to enjoy. The panels feature recordings of multiple birds including: a Hen Harrier, a Merlin, a Short-eared owl, a European Golden Plover and a Eurasian Curlew.
To promote the opening of the new space within the local community, David Wilson Kent invited ALP Sittingbourne learners to name Applegate Park’s new urban wetland space. The winning learner, Brayden, dubbed the pond ‘Hedgehog Cove’. Brayden’s interest and engagement with the new natural space on the development was celebrated at an unveiling event held recently where learners were able to view the pond’s new signage, which had the learner’s name officially engraved onto it. David Wilson Kent also gifted the learners some seed bombs as a reward for their creativity, as well as being the first to use the bird song panels.
Natalie Perry, Director of Sales and Marketing at David Wilson Kent, commented: “We were overwhelmed by the response these young people have shown to the introduction of urban wetland to our Applegate Park development, as well as our interactive bird panels teaching children about wildlife in their local area. We knew as a team how important it is to create these blue spaces, but experiencing the enthusiasm of the local community, particularly the interest of young pupils has been rewarding. This has certainly re-consolidated our dedication to promoting new urban wetlands across the UK and affirmed how important our outreach work is. We hope Brayden is proud of his legacy here at Applegate Park and the rest of the learners enjoy their seed bombs!”
Lily Garner, Teacher at ALP Sittingbourne, added: “I loved watching our learners enter David Wilson Kent’s competition with eagerness and enthusiasm. This competition combined two of the learner’s favourite activities: creativity and nature! Experiences like this sow the seeds for an enduring passion for environmental and community causes, and they were overjoyed by the seed bombs as a prize. Congratulations to Brayden for championing this ethic with his winning name of ‘Hedgehog Cove’ and many thanks to David Wilson Kent for involving our school with this collaborative environmental and community-based competition.”
