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From September 2023 to July 2024, a group of volunteers turned an old carpark into a community garden space. We hosted a garden party for the community and spent a year sowing and growing together.
Local residents and community members came to see what we had built, and they expressed interest in continuing the garden. Through workshops, gardening days alongside a professionally trained gardener, ongoing stewardship initiatives, community grow days and MORE garden open days, we hope to continue what we started. Bringing nature and beauty to a disused space, creating an environment for wildlife to flourish and for the community to grow and learn together.
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The Hithe - Mission Pamphlet 1st Page.pdf
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To increase biodiversity, and do our bit to restore population loss, we will create a space in the garden for butterflies and moths to visit, eat, reproduce, and thrive. We will also plant nectar-rich food for pollinators, build a wildlife pond, and create insect pocket habitats.
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Following a record low for butterflies this year, Butterfly Conservation has declared a Butterfly Emergency
In 2024, we've seen butterfly numbers fall across the UK. With 80% of butterflies having declined since the 1970s and a third of moth numbers having fallen in that same period, the time has come to take matters into our own hands…
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Butterflies rely on plants, flowers, grasses, shrubs and trees for their food and for their shelter. By planting butterfly and moth food in our garden and creating a butterfly hotel we hope to encourage the following butterflies to land in our garden for a rest and a snack:
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What do the experts have to say? How can we help? What can we do as a community to restore butterfly populations?
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“Butterflies are on the move, and there’s no doubt that climate breakdown is behind these geographic shifts. We know nature is running out of time, so we need to act now. We need you to get out for the Big Butterfly Count, let us know what you spot and where you spot it. You will be gathering the important data we need to see what the latest impacts are on our butterflies and moths, so that we can take the action needed to protect them.”
“The UK is a nation of amateur naturalists, and we have a proud tradition of celebrating and studying our wildlife. Every single person taking part in the Big Butterfly Count helps to build a picture of how butterflies are faring and how we can best conserve them. A few precious moments spent watching a stunning Red Admiral or Peacock butterfly feeding amongst the flowers in my garden never fails to bring me great pleasure.”