O T N I G N I SPR N O I ACT 8 ways to take action in your community
Hello Welcome to the ‘Spring Into Action’ Guide, your one-stop shop for making changes in your local area that are good for you, your community and the environment. Whether you’re doing it alone or as a group, we’ve put together some guidance for a combination of small but mighty actions, and full-on transformations, with inspiration, advice, and practical step-by-steps to get started.
s t n e t Con Attracting wildlife
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Grow plants for pollinators
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Make a bug hotel
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Make a bird feeder
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Growing and sharing food
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Grow your own food
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Plant fruit trees
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Transforming space and cutting waste
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Organise a litter pick
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Turn old into new
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Transform an unused space
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G N I T C A R T AT
E F I L D L I W 4
Encouraging birds, insects and wildlife to visit and live in your garden, windowsill, balcony or local green space has many benefits. They help to pollinate fruit and veg, spread seeds around the neighbourhood and keep species alive. Try these activities to bring nature nearer.
Top tip
When planting, remember to use peat-free compost. Peat is a material that is powerful at absorbing carbon so is better left in the ground in its natural habitat.
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Grow plants for pollinators
EES B D N A S E I L F R E T T U B Geranium
Bees, butterflies, moths and other pollinators are important for whole ecosystems as they help plants to reproduce by transferring pollen from one plant to another.
Oregano
These mini heroes depend on flowering plants for food (nectar) and we can give them a helping hand and brighten up our gardens, balconies and local green spaces at the same time, by:
• Growing caterpillar foodplants Besides planting nectar-rich flowers, we can all support birds and wildlife by planting caterpillar foodplants - plants that adult females use to lay eggs on, and their caterpillars depend on to grow into an adult butterfly or moth.
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Primrose
Forget me not Thyme
CA
TER P I L L A
Ready to plant your own?
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• Planting nectar-rich flowers Nearly all flowering plants produce nectar, but some flowers have been bred to grow extra petals, which means that insects can’t reach their nectaries in the middle of the flower. So choose plants that are nectar-rich to make it easier for bees and bugs to feed from.
Chives
Growing your own plants for pollinators 3 steps to success
What you’ll need... • Know which plants attract wildlife • Seeds • Soil
1. Choose your seeds
You can use the plants above or look out for seed packets that are advertised as ‘bee-friendly’ or ‘pollinator-friendly’ or ask at your local garden centre for advice Consider the time of year you’re planting and always check your seed packet for advice of when is best to plant and how to plant.
2. Decide where you’re planting
To attract pollinators, you’ll definitely need to plant in a garden, balcony, or an outside windowsill. And it’s also good to consider placement within those locations too. Some plants will be better suited to shade, and others like sunny spots. You might also like to consider a location you don’t mind bees visiting, or where might be convenient to grow herbs (near the kitchen!).
3. Get sowing
Now you know what you’re planting, it’s time to give it a grow! Always read your seed packet to make sure you’re sowing seeds in the right depth of soil, the right space apart, and so you know how to look after them. 7
• A pot or any container (if you aren’t growing straight into the ground)
WA NT TO DIG DEEPER? Create a pollinator garden. Want to really show your appreciation to bees and butterflies? If you have one, why not dedicate your whole garden or balcony to them! Plan out a menu of plants that the little critters will love and watch your space become a haven of pollinator joy.
Make a bug hotel With cities become more built up, we’re losing more wild spaces which provide valuable habitats for insects, bugs and animals. Whilst clearing away the leaves and dead wood from our gardens may be a cathartic activity to do each spring, these are the places that insects love the most. So, why not provide an alternative habitat! A great solution to take care of our critters is building a bug hotel. Whether you have a garden, balcony, outdoor windowsill, or even just a wall to attach it to, you can create a little piece of wilderness for the insects to enjoy and to bring yourself closer to nature.
Ready to make your own? 8
Making your own bug hotel
What you’ll need... • A foundation for your hotel – this could be a used tin can, yoghurt pot, broken bricks, an old flower pot…or any other items you have around your home.
3 steps to success 1. Pick the right spot
Most insects like cool, moist conditions, so a shady area next to a hedge or under the tree works well. Make sure the home has a firm base, because it will end up quite heavy. Choose a spot where the insect home can remain for at least the winter.
2. Prepare your structure
If you’re using a tin or pot that used to contain food, make sure it’s nice and clean to avoid attracting mice and rats, and ensure there are no sharp edges that might catch onto passers-by.
3. Fill in the gaps to create nooks and crannies
There are not set rules on how to best fill your bug hotel, but to attract plenty of different insects try and use as many different materials and leave as many small gaps as possible. 9
• Natural stuff for the furniture filling – logs, twigs, bark, pine cones, sawdust and wood shavings, hollow bamboo, moss…
A5 E T A E R C O T T N WA CE? N E I R E P X E G U B STA R Scale it up. Sometimes a B&B just
doesn’t cut it, so why not host your fancier insect friends in the Ritz of the bug hotel world? Layer old pallets on top of each other as tall as you’d like the insect hotel to be, check that they don’t wobble, and then fill in the gaps with larger scale versions of the materials mentioned above.
Make a bird feeder Attracting birds to your outside space is a wonderful way to bring nature nearer and learn about the birds that live in your area. Birds also help to pollinate flowers, making up for food shortages in the wild.
Ready to make your own? 10
Making your own bird feeder
What you’ll need... • Plastic bottle • Wooden spoon, rod, or stick
4 steps to success
• String • Bird seed
1. Prepare the bottle
Towards the bottom of the bottle make two holes opposite one another. If you want to get really fancy you could paint the bottle too.
2. Stick the wooden rod through both holes
You can cut down the handles of the rod, but make sure to leave enough space for the birds to rest on.
3. Cut a feeding hole above the wooden rod
This is ideally 7mm in width, but it can depend on the size of seeds.
4. Make two more holes
...towards the neck of the bottle opposite one another and thread a string through it. This will be used to hang up the feeder. 11
E L A C S O T T N WA IT UP? Make room for more birds. To
allow more birds to feed on the bottle at the same time, create two more opposite holes towards the middle of the bottle, at 90 degrees of the first holes. Stick another wooden rod through them and cut two more feeding holes above them.
G N I W O R G G N I R A H S AND
D O FO 12
Growing your own food is not only super rewarding (what could be more satisfying than using homegrown ingredients in your recipes!?) but growing your own food will also taste better, can also save you money over time and has endless environmental benefits. Shop-bought food will have a much higher carbon footprint as it will have travelled further, is likely to have excess plastic and packaging, and uses more energy to keep it chilled and fresh.
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Grow your own food
What you’ll need... • Space in the garden or large plant pots
3 steps to success
• Seeds • Soil
1. Choose what to plant
First thing’s first, you need to decide what to grow based on the veg you like and will eat a lot of. Different vegetables also need to be planted at different times, so consider what season it is when you get started. If it’s early in the year and still a bit cold outside, it’s worth growing seedlings indoors first, if it’s a bit later on you can plant straight outside. Read your seed packet to decide what’s best.
2. Plan your positioning
Where you’re planting your veg is also important to think about. Some prefer sun, others shade. Some veg are friends and grow well together, and some are foes and don’t get along very well. Check out the friends and foes grid below to decide who to plant next to who.
3. Get growing
Check your seed pack to make sure you’re planting in the right depth of soil and the seeds a correct distance apart. 14
E R O M G N I W O R G ? T A E N A C U THA N YO Share your veg. Make sure your
surplus doesn’t go to waste by offering it to friends and neighbours – you could even create a free veg shelf outside your house for passers-by to take home, or donate anything you don’t need to your local Community Fridge.
Friend or foe? Some vegetables are better suited together, so it's a good idea to plant companions together to get the most out of your crop. This guide tells you which vegetables are friends and foes.
Vegetable
Friends
Foes
Asparagus
Tomatoes
None
Aubergine
Beans, pepper
None
Beans (Bush or Pole)
Celery, corn, cucumbers, radish, strawberries
Garlic and onion
Beetroot
Bush beans (not pole beans), cabbage, broccoli, kale, lettuce, onions, garlic
Pole beans
Cabbage Family (cabbage, Beetroot, celery, dill, Swiss chard, lettuce, spinach, onions, potatoes broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts)
Pole beans
Carrots
Beans, tomatoes
None
Celery
Beans, tomatoes, cabbages
None
Corn
Cucumber, squash, peas, beans, pumpkin
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Beans, corn, peas, cabbage
None
Onions
Beetroot, carrots, Swiss chard, lettuce, peppers
All beans and peas
Peas
Beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, radish, turnip
Garlic, onions
Potatoes
Beans, corn, peas
Tomatoes
Squash
Corn, pumpkins
None
Tomatoes
Carrots, celery, cucumbers, onions, peppers
Corn, potatoes, kohlrabi
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Plant fruit trees Growing your own fruit trees is one of the most satisfying things you could do with your garden, patio, or balcony. Giving you years and years of free fruit and helping provide your neighbourhood with cleaner air. What’s not to love? This is how to plant a new pot-grown or bare-root fruit tree in open ground. You can also plant a tree in a patio pot or against a wall or trellis.
Ready to plant your own? 16
Growing your own fruit trees 1/2 8 steps to success 1. Make sure your fruit trees will pollinate
Trees usually need pollinators around to produce fruit, and many others also need other trees around to produce fruit. So get planting your pollinator friendly plants (page 6) and also have a look at this RHS guide to fruit pollination.
2. Phone a friend
Planting fruit trees is a 2-person task, so recruit a friend or family member to help you.
What you’ll need... • Young pot-grown or bare-root fruit trees • Mulch – you could use: garden compost, wood chippings, processed conifer bark, leaf mould, well-rotted manure, or seaweed • A wood or metal tree stake • Space in the garden or a very large pot • Shovel • A friend
3. Create the right conditions
Dig a hole on the day of planting, at least 60cm deep. It’s best to plant trees on a dry day and you shouldn’t plant if the ground is frozen or very wet. It’s best to plant in topsoil - the stuff that’s already in the ground already but if you have very poor soil use a mixture of topsoil and compost.
4. Plant your tree
Apply a mulch around the base of the tree and water well after planting. 17
What’s mulch? It’s natural matter that covers the soil and helps protect plants and trees from weeds and pests, provides nutrients, and reduces the need for watering by retaining moisture.
Growing your own fruit trees 2/2 5. Prop it up
Most new trees need a stake or post to support them while they get established. A proper wood or metal tree stake is best.
6. Protect from animals
If you have rabbits or deer or similar animals in the area, protect your new fruit trees by creating a chicken wire fence around the tree.
7. Keep the weeds at bay
Make sure grass and weeds are kept well away from the base of the tree by pulling them out at the root and re-applying mulch when needed.
8. Prune the tree
When pruning, observe the three D’s: and remove dead, diseased or damaged wood and any branches that are crossing over each other. Generally, plums, cherries, gages, damsons and mirabelles should be pruned in late summer, and apples, pears, quince, and medlars should be pruned in the winter months once harvest has ended. Always use a clean, sharp pair of robust secateurs to make the cuts. 18
WA NT TO GE T EXTRA FRUIT Y? What’s better than a fruit tree? Lots of fruit trees! If you’ve got the space, why not make your own orchard at home, with all the fruit trees you could dream of!
G N I M R O F S N A
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Excess waste, litter and fly-tipping can really bring the vibe of your neighbourhood down, but we have some creative and practical ways for you to make a difference to these stubborn problems in your area.
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Organise a litter pick Litter picking can be a fantastic way to make a visible difference and feel a connection to your local area – and can be a really fun thing to do as a small group! Before you get started, we’d advise doing some research to see if there are any local litter picking groups in your area that you could join, as they’re safer and more sociable, but if there aren’t then follow the steps below.
Ready to get litter picking? 21
Organising your own litter pick 4 steps to success
What you’ll need... • Gloves • Litter pickers • Bin bags
1. Gather your team
No litter-picker is an island (isn’t that how the saying goes?) – get together some friends or think about advertising your litter picking session in your community. Think about who might be interested in coming to your event and where they might spend time. Community groups and centres, leisure centres, faith groups and Facebook pages are a good place to start and here is a template poster you could use. Arrange a well-known place to meet.
2. Make it safe
We’d advise contacting your local council in advance to ensure that the area is safe for you to litter pick and see if they can provide or help create a risk assessment. Some places, such as beside the road, are sometimes best left unpicked if it puts you in harm’s way.
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Check before you buy... Your local council might be able to provide litter picking equipment, so it’s well-worth an ask before you buy some!
Organising your own litter pick 3. Bring refreshments
Bring along a thermos of tea or some delicious snacks to reward your fellow litter pickers with and make them want to come again next time.
4. Dispose of the litter
Small amounts of picked up litter put in public bins is great, however if you’re planning on collecting it in bags it’s best to ask the council where it should be left so they can arrange to take it away. Otherwise, litter bins fill up quicker and spill over with any rubbish people put in afterwards!
E K A M O T T N A W K C I P R E T T I L R YO U ? N U F ) E R O M N (E VE Try jazzing up your litter pick to make it more appealing! You could hold a silent disco clean-up, have a fancy dress theme (like our #TreasureYourRiver pirate themed litter pick!) or arrange a litter scavenger hunt.
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Turn old into new At first glance you might see a broken drawer as a lost cause, or chipped mug as rubbish. But you know what we see? Opportunity! Once you start seeing what looks like rubbish as treasure, there really is no turning back – almost everything can have a use. Turning old things into something new isn’t just a fun project, it saves you from having to buy something new and keeps things out of landfill. Win, win, win! Here’s some advice for turning old things into new.
Ready to start upcycling? 24
Giving old things a new life 3 steps to success
What you’ll need... • Old pallets, furniture, boots, teacups, wine bottles - anything you get inspiration from! • A creative vision
1. Get inspiration
Follow ‘upcycling’ tags on Pinterest and Instagram to get inspiration from others, get used to seeing old things as new, and keep in mind what you might be on the lookout for.
2. Find your treasure
Becoming a pro up-cycler means always being on the lookout for treasure. Whether it’s in your house, on the street, in a skip, or on Freecycle – keep a beady eye out for things that you could transform.
GO BIG OR GO HOME
3. Put your vision into action
Feeling really adventurous? Consider taking on a bigger upcycling project! Could you turn a bath into a planter? Or toys into an art sculpture? Or a door into a bench? The possibilities really are endless.
Whether you want to turn an old boot into a plant pot or a pallet into a table, just give it a go. The good thing about making things from something that’s been thrown away is there’s less pressure for perfection and more room for creativity! 25
Transform an unused space Spotted an unused space in your area that could do with a clear up? Fly-tipping can be a really stubborn problem, but where there’s a will there’s a way. Studies show that when a place looks nice, it’s more likely to be taken care of. People all over the UK have been transforming neglected areas into valued community spaces as a way of tackling fly-tipping. But this type of project only favours the brave. Are you up for the challenge?
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Ready to transform your space?
Transforming your unused space 9 steps to success
What you’ll need... • A space in need of a little love • Things to make it prettier like plants or art • Things to make it comfy like benches, garden chairs or lights
1. Find your space
You probably have a space in mind already, but it’s worth considering if it’s suitable for creating a transformation. Spaces that work best are near the project group’s houses to make sure it continues to be looked after, are partially enclosed for security, and are owned by someone that will let you transform it!
• A small group of dedicated people • A thrifty attitude • Bags of creativity • Community spirit
2. Get permission
Find out who owns the space and ask them if they’d be open to you starting a project there.
3. Gather your team
Think about who might be up for getting involved. Knock on your neighbours’ doors and get them excited about the possibilities. Fly-tipping can be an emotive issue, so invite everyone to a meeting to get things off their chest before proposing a positive solution. 27
Transforming your unused space 4. Clean it up
Invite everyone to clean up the space. If there’s lot of rubbish there make sure the council are able to come and pick it up when you’re done. Check out our section on running a litter pick on page 22 for more advice.
5. Re-imagine your space
Decide with your team what will go in your space. To do this, think about: what are you allowed to do with the space? How much time does everyone have to commit? How would you like the space to be used? Do you need vehicle access in the space? If so, do items need to be portable? And can things be attached to walls instead? The design process should keep going throughout the project period, so rather than making all the decisions on day one, keep it flexible so that new people can have their say if they get involved later on in the project.
6. Find your materials
Next, you’re going to need some stuff to go in your space, and this can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it - don’t let your budget put you off! You might just need to get thrifty. Think about: What do you have already? What can be donated? Are there any local programmes or charities that support this kind of project? What can you get hold of for free or cheap? Freecycle, Gumtree, and skips are a good place to start, and have a look at the ‘turn old into new’ section on page 24 for more inspiration. 28
Transforming your unused space 7. Get the skills
Think about what needs to be done and who might have the skills to help with that. Are any of your neighbours builders, carpenters or electricians that might be able to help or lend tools? Can you look at Youtube tutorials to teach yourself how to do things?
8. Make your transformation
First prepare your space so it’s ready for your vision. Do gates need fixing or painting? Are the walls safe to hang things from. Once you’ve laid the foundations, then you have a really nice space to start getting creative with.
9. Celebrate
Woohoo! You did it. Now it’s time to celebrate the success with your team in your new community space - just make sure to do it safely while we’re still in pandemic-times. 29
WA NT TO ? S R E H T O E R I P S IN When you’re done with your transformation, think about how you can share what you’ve done to encourage people to do the same. Tell your council, tell your local paper, tell your online community…shout it from the rooftops! Ok, maybe not that last one. But tell everyone and anyone you meet to make sure your hard work spreads far and wide to inspire others.
O T N I G N I R SP
R E G G I B N O I ACT 30
If you have big dreams for your community project there may be pockets of funding you can apply for to bring your ideas to life. To apply for funding you need to have an organisational structure for your team and an official document that explains your group’s purpose, which is called getting constituted. Find advice on how to do this at the ‘MyCommunity’ website.
N I S U P E E K P O O L THE
Did you spring into action using some of our tips? Send your stories, photos and feedback our way! We’d love to hear from you and share what you’ve done to help inspire more people to take action.
Get in touch at hello@hubbub.org.uk or tag us on social media @hellohubbub
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