Dengie supports Essex Wildlife Trust’s Nature Neighbours campaign

Dengie is backing Essex Wildlife Trust’s Nature Neighbours campaign, encouraging people to support wildlife by creating habitats for pollinators, toads, and hedgehogs in their gardens and green spaces. The initiative provides easy DIY guides and an interactive virtual map to track conservation efforts.

Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators are vital for food production, but recent wet weather has significantly impacted their numbers. “There is more we can do at our stable yards and in our gardens or outside space, however small,” a Dengie spokesperson said.

Simple steps, such as creating habitat piles from logs and leaves or building bug hotels using old supplement tubs, help provide shelter for pollinators during winter. For those less inclined to DIY, ready-made bug hotels are available from nature discovery centres.

Winter-blooming plants like ivy, snowdrops, and crocuses can also provide essential nectar for active pollinators. Dengie’s own alfalfa fields contribute to biodiversity by offering rich nectar in summer and valuable winter cover for birds and insects. Scientists have recorded over 1,000 insect species in alfalfa fields worldwide.

More information on Nature Neighbours is available via the Essex Wildlife Trust website, while details on Dengie’s sustainability efforts can be found on the Dengie website.