The open spaces on the estate, and the nearby Lilley Brook and Cox’s Meadow, are some of the features that make Charlton Park a great place to live, and the Residents’ Association takes an active interest in their maintenance.
Over recent years we have used a grant from the council to: plant some shrubs either side of the Moorend Road footpath entrance to the estate; plant a mixed hedge along a stretch of the chain link fence boundary with St Edwards School; plant 1,000 snowdrops either side of the entrance to King Arthur Close. A number of nesting boxes have been put up on the estate to add to those that were installed a few years ago. Plus, bat boxes and now bee boxes in gardens.
Hedgehogs need our help! Recent declines in hedgehog numbers may be partly due to the fences and walls we build round our gardens, reducing the habitat available to them. A good site explaining what we can do to help is at www.wildhogshedgehogrescue.org.uk . One of the actions is to make sure garden boundaries have hedgehog-sized gaps underneath so they can get in (and eat up your slugs and snails!) – why not spread the word to your neighbours and connect up as many gardens as possible?
