A resident from Horwich has called for small green spaces and verges to be left alone and for wildflowers to be planted to improve biodiversity and the look of the community.

Liz Turner-Allen, who lives on Hope Street North, hopes that by planting these it will help attract more bees and butterflies and help with biodiversity.

She first created a petition after noticing a decrease in bees and butterflies, and suitable habitats, including forage and nesting or breeding sites, in her area.

Liz said: “In Chorley they let them grow or plant bulbs and seeds and it looks a lot nicer than mowed grass and helps with biodiversity.”

Liz also believes that through the scheme less maintenance will be required which could help reduce council costs, carbon footprint, and increase local wildlife density and diversity.

She said: “There are such a lot of green spaces in Horwich, maintained by the council.

“There is one at the bottom of my street and it can’t be used for anything.

“I thought it was something that would save the council money.

“It could be replicated across the whole of Bolton, and they could be left, and wildflowers would grow.”

Liz says that a lot of residents are interested in helping plant the seeds and that after a couple of years, that they wouldn’t need to plant them again because they would self-seed every year.

She added: “Residents are really passionate about maintaining Horwich and keeping it clean and tidy, and this would be another step.

“I am pretty confident I can get people in Horwich to plant the seeds, myself included.

“There are a lot of environmentally conscious people in Horwich.

“A few of us have previously planted flowers at the bottom of the street name sign and maintained the sign that was rusting.”

Horwich North East Cllr Cllr Kevin McKeon added: “Increasingly environmental groups are telling us that for the health of – particularly insects and specifically bees – that it’s good to leave some grass verges uncut, particularly in spring.

“And Bolton at Home have done a wonderful service within Horwich in recent years planting wildflowers on Ainsworth Avenue and other areas in Horwich.

“I personally think that the wildflower displays that we have are quite magnificent and if we could increase that planting it would be a positive.

“However, there is a cost to prepare the land before they are planted, so it’s not without difficulties.”

Cllr McKeon says that he has mentioned the possibility of increasing the spaces for the displays.

It is not the first time that Bolton residents were keen to plant wildflowers to improve the look of the area and to bring the community together.

In December 2021 volunteers from the Green Crew in Over Hulton created a 300m long, 1m wide daffodil display by planting more than 2,000 bulbs.

To help support Liz with her initiative, click here (www.change.org/p/increase-pollinator-population-in-horwich).

If you have a story and something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at jasmine.jackson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @JournoJasmine.