Angus Young reports on the wildlife project at an amateur rugby league club in Hull which is mixing nature with nurture.
Volunteers at West Hull ARLFC have turned part of their home in North Road into an urban nature reserve, creating a new environmentally friendly space in one of the city’s most deprived neighbourhoods.
The sports ground is known as Johnny Whiteley Park, named in memory of the late rugby league legend.
Now Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s (YWT) Outer Humber Officer Andrew Gibson, who has worked with volunteers from the club’s Community Hub, is hoping other sports clubs in the area will follow their example.
He said: “This is one of the best projects I have ever been involved with. We started out with a target of turning over 30 per cent of the ground to nature by 2030 and we did it within a year.”
What was once an entirely uniform grassed area now boasts a variety of different habitats.
Mr Gibson explained: “At the start, we sat down with the groundsmen to work out how we could change the way the site was managed. There are two playing pitches and a training pitch but there was also a lot of additional land really doing nothing.
“It was all about encouraging them to try new things. Instead of cutting in straight lines like they have always done, we got them to cut more natural wavy edges to the borders and mow the areas between the pitches less often to allow wildflowers to come through.”
In addition, hedgerows are now cut less often, encouraging them to flower and fruit properly, while a woodland walk has been created at the eastern end of the site along with a meadow where grasses are allowed to grow through the summer providing a food source for insects and small mammals.
“To their credit, the guys really got it,” said Mr Gibson. “I would love to see other amateur sports clubs and schools follow their lead. I’ve already had encouraging talks with the Rugby League about rolling out what we have done here elsewhere.”
As well as the club’s groundsmen, the project has been supported by the Community Hub which opens two days a week as a social resource for people of all ages.
Hub trustee Anji Gardiner said: “It all started when I was watching a game here with Johnny Whiteley’s daughter Kim and we got talking about getting a few bird boxes to put around the ground because there was so much greenery.
“I didn’t really know anything about birds and didn’t want to put them in the wrong place so we were pointed in Andrew’s direction. He agreed to come and see the site and we’ve never looked back.
“One of the first things we did together was organise a litter pick as part of the Great British Spring Clean event. The weather was horrendous but 300 people still turned up to take part. We knew then we were onto something.”
Mr Gibson said the most rewarding part of the project has been involving people who use the Community Hub as a regular meeting place.
“It’s been wonderful to see what was previously just a big sports ground becoming something for all of the community to enjoy and being able to introduce nature into peoples’ lives.”
The link-up with the YWT has resulted in coach trips to the trust’s nature reserve sites at Spurn Point and Flamborough Head as well as hands-on tree-planting sessions back at the club’s ground.
“Although the site isn’t prone to flooding like many places in Hull, we’ve also had Yorkshire Water’s Living With Water team here to encourage people to install water butts.
“For me, it’s all about raising awareness and making nature and the environment relatable to people. This project is delivering that in spades.”
Hub volunteer Rowan Aldred-Young now spends time working on the nature reserve.
She said: “It’s very rewarding to be doing something like this. I like nature and being outdoors. Being here is like being in the countryside.”