It was a cold and frosty day but with beautiful bright sunshine, as we met at Whitemoor Allotments just north of Nottingham city center. 

We had been invited to visit a project that had joined the Wilder Network Group where a few of the allotment holders were working on a ‘lost wilderness plot’ with a vision of bringing it back to life for the benefit of wildlife. 

The ‘we’ were me as Senior Communications and Marketing Officer and Camille McCawley, Wilder Nottinghamshire Officer (South) at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, along with Autumn Barlow, a communications project manager, and Joe Bird a videographer from The Wildlife Trusts. 

Pat and Martin, allotment holders and the leaders on the project, had been in touch with Camille as part of the Wilder Network of local groups, together working towards a wilder Nottinghamshire. 

Intros done and discussions about the outcomes for the day agreed, we were invited down the beautiful hedgerow lined lane towards the plot being developed for wildlife. Thankfully we had joined the project when all the hard work had been done over the past few years, clearing the brambles and removing the tonnes of carpet, rubble and more to get into the site! 

With help from other plot holders, three skips of waste were cleared. No easy task having to lug materials not able to be recycled along the lane to the skip based in the allotment entrance car park! They also had to be ingenious as to how to fundraise to be able to hire said skips. A bonfire night raffle helped. Not having a bank account for the allotments, so applying for funding was not an option despite much research, a fellow allotment holder set up a GoFundMe page and it was shared across the allotment WhatsApp group and their Facebook page successfully raising enough for the skip hire. Any materials left were decided to be kept on site to be reused such as bricks to eventually be made into hard standing for a shed on the wildlife plot. They tirelessly sieved bits of plastic and debris out of the sand, making it usable once more. 

I hasten to add at this stage that the allotments already have great wildlife on site. The range of birds singing could be heard as we filmed from Great tits and robins to crows to name a few. Pat stated there had been reports of wildlife on site including tawney owls, foxes, sparrow hawks, buzzards and even a deer. But what surprised him most was the number of newts found hiding within all the piles of bricks on the wildlife plot even before they had dug the pond. We’ll come to that arduous task in a moment! 

As part of the Wilder Network, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trusts’, City Rep, Lorna Griffiths with her Bat Group hat on, previously attended and provided bat detectors which recorded three species of bat including Noctule. Pat sadly stated the fact though that they had no records of hedgehogs or badgers on site. As a veg grower, but badger lover, he was glad of the lack of a digging badger to uproot his crops, however, he wanted to encourage hedgehogs to help eat the slugs and snails amongst other things. An aim for the future as they progress with the plot and encourage other plot holders along with the wildlife endeavor. 

The allotments were on land previously owned by Shipstones Brewery. The location of the plot within the large 17-acre area of the allotments was alongside the tramline just near the Wilkinson Street tram stop. The allotments are also closed in by the ring road on one side with houses and their back gardens on the other. The wildlife plot, however, backs onto the River Leen Gateway and river, a neighbouring wildlife corridor and an opportunity for wildlife to venture in. Plus, having such great hedges defining each plot and the lanes on site are a real boost for wildlife.  

Pat knew that having a pond would be the first task to entice wildlife after clearing the site. He also thought the bigger the better! However, after a few negotiations with Martin, they agreed, seeing they could only dig by hand (No diggers here to help spread the load!) to downscale it a little bit…but not much! The pond is 30ft by 20ft wide with a planned bog garden area to one side. So not Digging for Britain providing food for the population but digging a pond for wildlife. Pat admits their first mistake was to locate the pond at the back of the plot underneath trees. But it would be closer to the wildlife corridors, helping entice wildlife in.  

One meter deep and with two shelves at 300mm and 600mm around the edge there is plenty of scope to add in more plants around the margins to join the few Martin had managed to add in last autumn that were peeking out the top of the ice on our visit. 

Other wildlife enhancements already in place include the hibernaculum, a home for amphibians in a dug-out area with garden material and covered with a log pile. This is snuggled behind the pond under the flowering ivy. A great food source in autumn for ivy bees and in winter the berries for blackbirds. They have also built a dry-stone wall, well, raised bed actually! Hopefully the mice will enjoy it. So, the plan to build multiple habitats for wildlife is well under way! Plans for this year already include planting areas for pollinators as well as planting the trees donated to them or grown by fellow plot holders. They include hawthorne, oak and hazel. Donated bat and bird boxes are ready to be installed as well. 

Pat and Martin are hardworking but enjoy a cuppa sitting on the plot between tasks watching the birds on the feeders. The squirrels do a good job to have a go too. 

Pat has some great advice for others looking to give it a go, whether small or large.  

1. Get people involved at the start – you don’t have to do it all yourself! 

2. Get funding in place first for those costs small or large to cover materials. Like they did with their skip hire and pond liner. 

3. And talk to the experts and those who have done it before. Learn from them so as not to make the mistakes that have gone before! 

Pat stated, “Don’t put it off. Don’t be afraid to ask. See an opportunity and go for it!” 

Martin enthusiastically stated, “The benefit of more wildlife is we can work side by side, especially pollinators.”  

He continued, “It’s been a challenge, but I have been up for it. We have a nice clear plot to take it forward. I have enjoyed it.”