RESIDENTS on a Lincolnshire retirement park, The Elms, have been thanked in a live broadcast for helping to create an idyllic environment for wildlife.
The praise came from Rufus Bellamy in a half-hour appearance on the Torksey park’s own TV network which is streamed via Facebook to residents of the 340 park homes.
Rufus, whose manages the conservation award scheme launched by his father David Bellamy, was interviewed live by Tracey Coulson, a member of the park-owning family.
It was held to mark the end of a twelve-month programme of eco-friendly initiatives at The Elms in which residents played an important role.
Many have planted high nectar-bearing flowers in their park home gardens tors.
Residents have also set up bird feeding stations and nesting boxes, and recently helped create a “bug hotel” in the grounds which provides habitats for beneficial insects.
In addition, The Elms this year has planted hundreds more woodland and hedgerow plants in its 65 acres of parkland from which wildlife will benefit.
The park has also installed electric car charging points for residents and their friends and families, and invested in an electric buggy to further reduce its carbon footprint.
“Rufus Bellamy provided us with a fascinating interview during which he talked with real passion about the importance of protecting the natural world,” said Tracey.
“There are so many things which we can all do to flourish.
“Residents at The Elms, Rufus said, had proved themselves to our biodiversity.
“We’re so grateful to everyone here for their support of our green policies,” added Tracey.
But although its current 12-month conservation programme has now finished, she said, a raft of new schemes has been drawn up for the coming year.
They include the creation this autumn of a wildflower meadow in the park’s grounds which will be seeded with both familiar and less common species of native blooms.
The flowers, once established, will help provide sustenance for bees in the two hives planned to be installed in the grounds, holding out the prospect of The Elms producing its own honey!
The park’s regular Facebook streams, said Tracey, are proving very popular and cover a range of subjects of interest to learn more about park home living.
Still available to view after each broadcast, the streams – including the Rufus Bellamy interview -are available via The Elms’ website at www.elmsretirementpark.co.uk
