To celebrate its partnership with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT) one house builder has been showing its customers how to bring the outside in and get children interested in nature.
Redrow Homes became the first developer to partner with the BBCT last year and has since undertaken a number of initiatives to create pollinator friendly habitats at its offices and developments around the UK. Its latest project has seen a children’s room at one it its Yorkshire developments, Windsor Park, in Wakefield, transformed into a bumblebee inspired den perfect for any child with an active imagination and a love of nature.
Redrow’s Group Interior Design Manager, Emma Brindley, explains: “Our partnership with the BBCT has been the inspiration behind this latest design for a children’s bedroom. Our in-house creative team designed a bespoke print for the wallpaper and we’ve also included educational elements in the room such as pieces of artwork about the types of plants that can help boost bumblebee populations. We’ve incorporated some craft elements such as moulded and painted mini bumblebee models, honeycomb style shelving, and lots of other elements inspired by nature and the great outdoors.”
In the last 80 years bumblebee numbers have declined dramatically. Two species have become nationally extinct and several others have seen their numbers drop. The BBCT works to raise awareness and increase understanding about bumblebees and to support their conservation as well as helping to inspire future generations to think about how their actions can impact on the environment.
Emma added: “While the room is just a fun and cosy space for a child to play and enjoy, it will hopefully also spark their interest in wildlife and conservation from a young age. For the grown up homebuyers who visit our development, it also serves to highlight our 12-month partnership with the BBCT and the positive work we are doing with the organisation to create eco-friendly habitats. We’ve included packs that parents and children can take away to learn more.”
As well as creating new habitats and undertaking wildflower planting at various locations around the country, Redrow has also created welcome cards for all of its customers embedded with wildflower seeds so, when soaked in water and planted in the garden, they will eventually bloom, creating colour outside and helping to boost the population of pollinating insects.
