A WILDFLOWER meadow is being created in Skipton as part of a town wide ‘pollinator plan’ to attract bees and other insects.

The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) is working with Skipton Town Council on the joint project at Middletown Recreation ground which will see a small area made into a wildflower habitat.

Its aim is not only to benefit bees, butterflies, hoverflies, beetles, moths and other insects, but also to create a beautiful area of flowers for residents to enjoy.

The project is part of Bee Together, a National Lottery funded programme which aims to work with communities to create habitats that could help reverse the decline of wild pollinators.

Catherine Mercer, Bee Together officer at YDMT, said such schemes were vital if the decline in pollinators was to be reversed.

“According to the 2016 State of Nature report, 60 per cent of bees and other pollinators are in decline. They face a wide range of threats, from toxic pesticides to climate change, however one of the most significant reasons for their decline is the loss of wildflower-rich habitats,” she said.

“Declining pollinator populations are bad news for wildlife and people, with a third of the food we eat dependent on pollinating insects. If bees are in trouble, so are we.

“This new meadow will not only provide an important habitat for pollinators but bring colour and interest to the area too.”

Ms Mercer added: “It also marks the beginning of the development of a town-wide pollinator action plan being drawn up between ourselves, Buglife and the council that will help manage green spaces for the benefit of pollinators. We hope to see Skipton leading the way in protecting and celebrating our native bees and other pollinators.”

Joel Henderson, estates manager at Skipton Town Council, added: “We’ve lost more than 95 per cent of the UK’s wildflower meadows, making projects like this one really important. The joy of being immersed in a meadow, surrounded by the buzz of bees is a pleasure that is alien to many of our younger generation so we’re really looking forward to bringing this experience to the people of Skipton, while also tackling biodiversity loss.”

Recent research, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, found parks and urban green spaces are important habitats for pollinators with even small patches of allotments and weeds providing sustainable forage for bees and other insects.

‘Bee Together’ seeks to create a corridor of habitats between Leeds and Lancaster, contributing to a national network of ‘B-Lines’ mapped by Buglife.