Gardens & Conservation
CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT​
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We have always sought to run Crag House Farm for the benefit of the environment, avoiding the use of harmful pesticides, planting woodland and boundary hedging and installing wildlife ponds. The benefits to wildlife are marked, but there are also huge benefits for beneficiaries, and the visiting public.
EYES WIDE OPEN​
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The majority of those supported by Caring For Life have lived in the inner city, with few opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. If life has always been painful, struggling to survive leaves little energy to notice the beauty of nature. Feeling safe at Crag House Farm has the “spin off” benefit of eyes wide open (and ears open) to the sights and sounds of the countryside.
CARE IN CREATION​
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Entitled “Care in Creation” when the formal conservation project opened in 2000, the project’s aim is to enable beneficiaries to learn to care for this beautiful stretch of countryside. From filling bird feeders, installing “bug hotels”, planting trees and hedgerows, monitoring species and sowing wildflower areas, to looking after bee hives on the Apiary Project, every activity helps people understand more about the natural world around them.
ONGOING RESTORATION​
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The newly restored wildlife ponds are gradually settling in and being planted up with oxygenators. The wildlife has already moved in, with tufted ducks, mallards and moorhens regularly seen on the ponds, as well as dragonflies.
