Everyone can welcome nature to their neighbourhood, whether you have a garden or not!
Did you know that one in eight of us in Britain have no access to a private garden? The likelihood drops for those of us living in cities and drops even further for ethnic minority communities. Gardening has fantastic benefits for our health and local environment that should be accessible to all. How can you tap into those wellbeing benefits and make space for nature if you don’t have access to your own garden?
Start a neighbour nature network!
One possible solution is to work together with your local community. We’re encouraging NightWatchers to get to know their neighbours (human, bat, and otherwise) by starting a neighbour nature network! You don’t need a big space to make a big impact. Planting in containers can be enough to attract the insects that bats like to feed on! Joining together with neighbours can be a fantastic way of connecting lots of little wildlife-friendly features if you have limited space, time, or budget. Perhaps there’s a shared garden space, or a patio in your building that you can put some containers in. Maybe some of you have balconies, or windowsills that can make a good home for a window box. By coming together and each making a small space, neighbours can make a big difference for local bats.
Get involved with local community gardens
Did you know there are hundreds of community gardening schemes all over the UK that welcome locals to visit, volunteer, and join in? Not only can this be a fantastic way to build a connection with your local community, but by bringing your enthusiasm for wildlife, you can help make even more species for nature! Why not encourage your local community garden to do a NightWatch survey, and see whether bat records rise as you take wildlife friendly action together?
Check out this map by Good to Grow and search for a community garden near you. There are many gardens to get involved in, even in the heart of your city!
Sow seeds for nature
You'll need seeds to sow with your Neighbour Nature Network or local community garden. With specially picked UK native wildflowers to attract a variety of insects (AKA bat food!) from spring to autumn, our NightWatch seed packets with Wildflower Favours are an easy way to get started.
Use 'MAKESPACE' at checkout for an exclusive NightWatcher discount!
Related content