A green-fingered couple have won tickets for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show courtesy of the RSPCA.
Jemma and Steve Holmes signed up for the animal charity’s volunteering scheme, which was part of the Big Help Out King’s Coronation celebrations on May 8.
They were among over 800 people who undertook a range of activities aimed at protecting and nurturing wildlife in their own gardens and local communities.
Those signing up as Wildlife Friends were invited to enter a competition to win tickets for a day at the prestigious event, which opens on Monday (May 22).
The winners will tour the The RSPCA Garden, designed for the show by Martyn Wilson, which includes many of the ideas that inspired the activities for Wildlife Friends, such as building dead hedges and planting wildlife-friendly trees and shrubs.
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Jemma and her partner have transformed the space outside their new home near Bicester by creating a habitat for wildlife.
They added to their features with some of the tasks they submitted to Wildlife Friends, including placing an insect hotel, a bird box and feeder in their garden, where they previously had planted four trees and developed a wild wooded area.
“When we moved to our new-build house we noticed there wasn’t any wildlife at all. There were no birds or squirrels or hedgehogs and it all felt a bit bland,” said Jemma.
“So we planned the garden to make sure it was wildlife friendly and now we’ve got hundreds of birds visiting and lots of bugs.
"It has been such a success that some of our neighbours have followed suit.”
Jemma and Steve sent in a photomontage of their handiwork and along with the details of their endeavours it swayed the judges who handed them the winning prize.
“We’ve always wanted to go to Chelsea so we are really excited about winning the competition,” said Jemma, who helps out the RSPCA by volunteering weekly at Blackberry Farm Animal Centre’s cattery.
“Now we’re looking at completing one of the other activities - that is making a butterfly café, as that looks really interesting.”
RSPCA head of volunteering Brian Reeves said: “The Big Help Out was planned to be the biggest volunteering event of 2023 and an incredible 816 people signed up to be Wildlife Friends for May 8. Our volunteering numbers have grown by almost 1,500 since the scheme’s launch on March 20.
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“Wildlife Friends have completed a range of tasks, including planting wildlife-friendly plants, building nest boxes and putting food down for hedgehogs as well as getting together with neighbours to start a wildlife project.
"There has been a fantastic response and we hope more people will sign up and get involved in protecting and nurturing wildlife.”
Garden designer Martyn Wilson added: “It’s brilliant that hundreds of people have become RSPCA Wildlife Friends for The Big Help Out and have been getting busy in their gardens and neighbourhoods. Not only is it great for wildlife, it’s great for people too. Being out in the fresh air, surrounded by plants and nature is so good for your physical and mental wellbeing.”
After Chelsea, the garden is to be relocated to RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre near Nantwich in Cheshire where it will live on as a sanctuary for wildlife, staff, volunteers and visitors, providing animal welfare education to communities who have fewer opportunities to connect with the natural environment.
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