Westfield Park is a key site in the Aberdeen B-Lines project, a vital initiative that aims to create stepping stones of habitat across the city to support pollinators like bees, butterflies, hoverflies, and moths. With 97% of the UK’s species-rich grasslands lost since the 1930s, projects like this are essential to help pollinators thrive.
Since March, the Aberdeen B-Lines partnership, led by Buglife Scotland and Aberdeen City Council, has worked at 11 sites across the city, creating flower-rich habitats by planting native wildflowers, installing bee hotels, and engaging local communities.
This planting session marked another significant step forward in the work at Westfield Park. Around 40 volunteers turned out, including local residents, members of the Friends of Westfield Park group, Aberdeen City Council, and SSEN Distribution staff. Attendance was fantastic, reflecting the strong community support for the project - and certainly making the work of planting so many flowers much easier!
"Plug plants, unlike seeds, are already partially grown and have established root systems, making them more resilient to weather and competition from weeds,” explained Ruth Quigley, Aberdeen B-Lines Conservation Officer. “This will give the park’s flower-rich grassland area a great boost.”
The contribution from SSEN has been invaluable, not only through their generous donation but also their hands-on involvement in the planting.
Jack Graham, SSEN Distribution’s Project Manager, said, “We are committed to being a good neighbour in the communities where we live and work, and so we are delighted to have been able to support Buglife Scotland with their habitat creation day in Bridge of Don. Our colleagues who helped on the day were taking part through SSE’s Volunteering programme, which gives every member of staff a day away from their office or depot to help support a local charity or good cause, and everyone has been saying how much they enjoyed the planting. It was a great day all round, and we can not wait to see the plants in bloom.”
Ruth Quigley shared her excitement, “We are thrilled not only to receive this generous donation from SSEN but also to have had their team join us for the planting session. We would love to work with SSEN again as we continue to expand our B-Lines work across the country.”
Thanks to the success of the initial planting, the Aberdeen B-Lines team then embarked on plans for further planting sessions with the Friends of Westfield Park group. This will ensure that the site continues to flourish as a pollinator haven.
By the end of October, volunteers had sown native wildflower seeds on a further five sites, and a number of additional plug planting events have taken place including with Scotland’s Rural College Skills Society.
Be sure to visit Westfield Park (and other Aberdeen B-Lines sites) next summer to see these wildflowers in full bloom and spot the beautiful pollinators they attract!
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