Otley garden centre provides charity with plants to encourage wildlife

The team at Otley Garden Centre has donated wildflower seeds to Wildlife Friendly Otley to improve habitat corridors around the town.

The Otley team worked with members of Wildlife Friendly Otley volunteers and Councillor, Linda Hoare to sow seeds in a 429 m² area along the verge from the garden centre to the Otley/Pool boundary.

River Six, Co-Chair of Wildlife Friendly Otley, said: “The planting is part of our nature recovery plan for Otley. We are improving the habitat corridors around Otley; the idea is that, in time, we will join those habitats so that wildlife can move freely around our town. This is one of the entry routes into Otley, we want to do wildflower planting and plant along all of the entrances.

“Highways and the council have agreed to give us a licence to plant there, as the creation of a vital piece of our wildlife corridors. We are very grateful to the team at Otley Garden Centre for donating the seeds and giving up their time to help sow them.”

Robyn Winstanley, People & Culture Business Partner at Yorkshire Garden Centres volunteered her time and enjoyed the day: “It was great to work with the volunteers to sow the verges with a bright flowers for wildlife mix that includes a wide variety of annual and perennial plants including lavender, borage and poppies. I look forward to seeing them all in flower.”

Otley Garden Centre has already worked with Wildlife Friendly Otley to support a habitat restoration project on the Weston Estate and donated £250 worth of plants to support biodiversity for an Orchard Planting project at Westbourne Park and Bennett Court in the town.

Wildlife Friendly Otley is a small charity which was founded six years ago and now has over 300 volunteers. Co-Chair, Neil Griffin is the group’s education officer who works with local schools to educate pupils about Otley’s wildlife.

Otley Garden Centre is part of the Yorkshire Garden Centres family, which comprises Tong, Tingley and Bingley Garden Centres, plus Dean’s in York and Scarborough.