Centrica and the Community: Bringing Biodiversity to Sawyer’s Close

The Centrica Team of Volunteers

A blog post for Green Earth Plan by Hannah Blanchard - January 2022

“Last Autumn, my team and I headed over to our neighbours at Sawyer’s Close. Our mission? To help Green Earth Plan enhance the biodiversity of the site and make it a more accessible and enjoyable space for the community. ”

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I’m not quite sure how many times I made the commute to our Centrica office in Windsor before the pandemic started. But I’d happily tell you it was ‘a fair few’! Four tower blocks face the office and, without fail, I’ve always looked over to note the grass and trees that grow in their shadow.

Not being a Windsor local myself, I can’t say I was too familiar with the site – nor the residents who call Sawyer’s Close home. So, when the opportunity came for us to visit and lend a hand in developing their community gardens, I was rather excited.

At Centrica, we’re committed to helping create a more inclusive and sustainable future that supports communities, our planet and each other. It’s all part of our People & Planet Plan, and is something that I’m passionate about on a personal level too. We want to enable the transition to a lower carbon future, and we don’t want to see anybody left behind. So, where better to start with our support than right on our doorstep?

Last Autumn, my team and I headed over to our neighbours at Sawyer’s Close to offer that support. Our mission? To help Green Earth Plan enhance the biodiversity of the site and make it a more accessible and enjoyable space for the community.

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‘The Wildflower Bed’ (hopefully we’ll see some beautiful colours coming through soon!)

Under the incredible supervision of Green Earth Plan and Abri, our team of 9 split ourselves across a few different activities. We got stuck in throughout the afternoon and we definitely earnt our dinners!

One group headed over to the community orchard to create a wildflower bed. We marked out the shape of the bed using string, before cutting and lifting the turf so that we could plant wildflower seeds. Not only will the wildflowers make the area more beautiful for residents and passers-by alike, they’ll also encourage bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to the orchard – which is beneficial both to the trees and overall biodiversity.

We even made good use of the turf that we lifted out! Access to orchard was a little restricted; the narrow path was tricky to navigate for those less physically able, so we widened it and repositioned the turf at the entrance of the orchard to create a more level approach route.

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Others in the team worked on a biodiversity area. They positioned, embedded, and varnished logs for natural seating – which in turn will also help to protect the current tree stump habitats from potential damage. The group also added various plants and bulbs to enhance the space.

“My new skill? Being able to create seats out of tree stumps!” – Sarah Wright

The team and I learnt so much from the experts at Green Earth Plan and Abri, and it was really rewarding to see the difference that our time had made. The satisfaction of lifting the final piece of turf from the soon-to-be wildflower corner was a particular highlight for me and I felt so proud when members of the Sawyer’s Close community came out to admire our handywork and wanted to get stuck in themselves! It was a privilege to meet our neighbours, whose home I had walked past so many times – and to share in their enthusiasm for that home was even better.

“I really enjoyed taking time out to support a community that’s right on our doorstep – not only was it great to help transform the orchard and woodland area, but it was rewarding to see local residents interested and happy in what we were doing.” – Natalie Robinson

  ‘Team with Tools’ (I promise we used them for more than just props!)

I’m so grateful for the opportunity we had to make a difference in our community. Everybody came away with new skills, knowledge, and an appreciation for our local area. Oh, and thankfully a smile. Although, we were certainly in need of a good shower and sleep after all that digging!

Would you like to help transform a community space in your local area? Then why not join our Urban Greening Campaign ‘Green Up Our Streets’ and make a difference for people and the planet. You can read more about how to get involved here

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