Close up view of an insect box amongst long grass

Creating a thriving green space for the community

• 4 min read

Lynne Thorne was third place winner in our SNG In Bloom 2024 competition for the wonderful work she's done to develop a more sustainable community green space in Surrey. Find out more about this sustainable garden - and Lynne's top tips for others who would like to get started.

I first started gardening with my dad and grandparents when I was a child. When I moved here there was no personal garden space but, during Covid, we started making use of the car park and shared green areas.

We are blessed to live on Hawley Woods and Hawley lake - so we're often visited by deer and foxes, bats and amazing bird life. We're surrounded by trees and woodland: it's a small piece of bliss and beauty in this area of Surrey countryside.

I'm in my 60s and work on the shared green space with my 30-year-old neighbour Tom: while we're opposite ends of the age spectrum, we share enthusiasm and ideas.

It's a pleasure to live here and garden together. Last year we had wildflowers everywhere, and pots. The wildlife was incredible. We also made a small pond-like area with lots of frogs and water insects.

Tom's design and technology skills are incredible: he's designed bird boxes, insect hotels, bird feeders, a bird bath and bat box. These are all made from sustainable materials. He's developed a system for creating these and has a contact for broken crockery. The crockery is ground down and made into a cement-like material which Tom then moulds in silicone and leaves to set. More recently we've also added another bird bath and small water fountain feature!


Lynne's top tips

In terms of ideas for others wanting to get started on gardening, these would be my top suggestions.

First things first

  • The first thing is to get a composter: you can often source one from Facebook Marketplace for about £10. Then start to recycle waste and weeds, allowing insects and worms to aerate the soil to return to the ground as compost after a year.
  • Dig over a small patch to begin with and plant wildflower seeds or easy and quick growing salads or vegetables. That will encourage you to carry on: it's important to enjoy what you're doing, and grow what gives you pleasure!
  • Get your confidence up before turning over more space: see what works well and what doesn't. Pots are also great. Wildflower pots are particularly easy and they're bright and colourful - attracting lots of wildlife and giving you joy.

Attracting wildlife

  • You can attract more wildlife by creating a bird bath: which can just be a lid or anything to hold water. Include small rocks or stones on the ground for insects to hide under. 
  • You can also create a small pond (we initially used an oblong plant holder) and add water, stones and water plants: insects and frogs quickly found it.
  • Bird feeders and hanging fat balls on trees also attract birds and insects. 
  • And don't forget to save water by putting containers outside and collecting rainwater for your plants and seeds.