Friends of Pearson Park launch Wet Woodland

A unique biodiversity habitat in Hull’s oldest public park has been created thanks to a group of ‘Friends’.

The Friends of Pearson Park identified an area of the park which provided the perfect environment to create a wet woodland. Wet woodlands are damp, shady areas which attract various species of trees, plants and insects. There has been a general loss of wet woodlands in the UK during the last century but their importance is now being recognised nationally.

The creation of the woodland was funded through a Big Lottery Fund Breathing Places grant of £10,000 and developed in partnership with Hull City Council and volunteers fromThe BritishTrust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV).

The Friends wanted the wet woodland to be an educational resource for children and young people, so to help bring it to life they enlisted the expertise of students at Bishop Burton College to create an information board and bark etching plaques. The BA (Hons) Designstudents worked with the Friends to project manage the development of the educational resources, which KC supported financially through its KC Community Grant scheme.

Dr Haris Livas-Dawes, Chair of the Friends of Pearson Park said: “I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the wet woodland project, it was a perfect partnership between The Friends of Pearson Park, Bishop Burton College, KC and Hull City Council’s tree officers.I was particularly impressed with the professionalism and creative flair of the students and I wish them all the best as they continue with their studies.”

Bishop Burton College Course Manager, Michele Thompson, said: “It is great for the students to be able to work on real projects, not just theoretical examples we give them in the classroom environment. They have worked so well together and the result is great – they should be incredibly impressed with their work.”

The KC community grants of £500, £250 and £150 are awarded each quarter. They are available to local organisations, schools and projects in the Hull and East Riding area.

Kevin Walsh, KC Chief Executive said: “We are proud to have played a role in the development of the woodland, it will be great to see visitors enjoying it and learning about the importance of our green spaces. We are committed to improving our environment and giving something back to our local communities that can be enjoyed now and by future generations.”

Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire has only 2.6 per cent woodland cover, which is much less than the national average of 8.4 per cent. 

The aim of The Friends of Pearson Park is to make the park more attractive, enjoyable and educational: a place of social harmony. The land for Pearson Park was bought by and given to the people of Kingston upon Hull by Zachariah Charles Pearson in 1860, when he was the Lord Mayor. The park, which covers 23 acres, was designed by James Craig Niven (1828-81), curator of Hull's Botanic Gardens. Features of the park include a small serpentine lake, a broad carriage drive running around the perimeter, and a Victorian-style conservatory (rebuilt in 1930), all set in well-maintained grounds with plenty of trees and shrubs. 

For more information on the Friends of Pearson Park please visit: www.friendsofpearsonpark.co.uk

To apply for one of the KC Community Grants apply online or contact Anna Millar for an application form by calling 01482 602831 or by emailing anna.millar@kcom.com