Wildlife friendly homes isn’t really something that RammSanderson would delve into but recently, Director, Nick Sanderson made some minor additions to his own house and wanted to share his story of how easy it was to implement the changes.
“Nearly two years ago, I added an extension to my property, but I also saw an opportunity to make improvements to aid the local wildlife which visit the garden. The first step of the plan was to insert a bat box within the extension brick wall and add in a sparrow parade box for nesting birds which reside in the eaves of the roof. Both of which I’m happy to say are used.
Following the extension, I was left with an awkward corner of land which I decided to plant a wildflower garden on. By no means am I an entomologist, but I have personally recorded c. 10 types of bee on it. I’ve got a massive insect house on the site and included a ‘hedgehog highway’ too by lifting a gravel board and propping it open.
All in its cost me about £120 to make all the changes and I have to say it was ridiculously easy to do. The bat and bird box are really discrete and the wildflower meadow, looks fantastic when in bloom.
I’m hoping that by sharing my own story it will encourage others to make similar changes and help people realise that it can be done on a shoestring budget. As an ecologist it’s good to practice what you preach and although the changes I’ve made are only on a small scale, in a very short space of time, I’ve seen great benefits.”
To find out more about how you can build a wildlife friendly home or garden, you can visit the National Trust website for more ideas and initiatives.