Wildlife trust to inspire would-be gardeners

A new initiative has been set up to encourage people to grow their own food and create wildlife havens at home.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has taken on a disused dairy farm and begun a grassland management and sustainable food production project. A report by the Yorkshire Post said that rather than creating a nature reserve on the land, the decision was taken to try and inspire budding farmers, gardeners and youngsters to start similar projects on a smaller scale on their own land.

The trust's food education officer Kim Warren told the newspaper that almost 50 organic vegetable training beds have been created at Stirley Community Farm.

"Food is something we all relate to, so we can introduce new audiences to our message of wildlife conservation.

"Our training beds, soft fruit hedges, forest garden and formal orchard demonstrate different ways of producing food and also create a range of habitats."

The trust has said it is also working with other nearby landowners to help ensure that a co-ordinated approach is taken to land management in the area.

Please note, the contents of this news story are not supported or endorsed by The Co-operative Group.