The Millennium Country Park is an award winning green space featuring diverse wildlife habitats - including woodlands, meadows, hedgerows and wetlands – and is enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year exploring the 225 hectare space. However, the Park is not the ideal space for everyone.

For some, accessing the Park has challenges – for example, people with reduced mobility or neurodivergent individuals, for whom the busyness and scale of the Park can be overwhelming. So we’ve designed a ‘pocket-sized’ version of the Park, with features designed to appeal to people with a physical disability or mental health condition.

The Sensory Wildlife Garden - Images from left to right: image by Francessca Reeves Photography, images by Gemma Bateman Photography, image by Martin Rogers.

We want to create a peaceful idyll, where people of all abilities can immerse themselves in nature and enjoy a rich sensory experience to help calm and comfort their mental health and support their general well-being.

We’ve raised 80% of the funds needed to make this project happen, but need another £12,000 to complete this dream space.

There’s a number of phases to the project, which are having to be managed around our existing resident wildlife. Habitat creation is at the forefront of what we do as a Charity, and the Sensory Wildlife Garden has a key role to play here too. Our plans for this area will improve existing habitats and create new ones for insects, aquatic life, birds and small mammals.

Phase One – complete!

Work began in November 2023, clearing and deepening the existing pond to prevent reeds from taking over. Vegetation is an integral part of the pond ecosystem; it provides both food and shelter for amphibians and invertebrates, such as Great Crested Newts – a European Protected Species. If left unmanaged, the reed will take over and the pond would silt up and dry out. It was essential to complete this work in the winter when the resident smooth and great crested newts were not present and other pond creatures are less active.

Images from left to right: volunteers help to rebuild the compost structure, Ranger Tony Crofts helps to break down old structures within the Sensory Wildlife Garden, clearing and deepening of pond. 

Phase Two – happening now! (September 2024)

The paths in the garden area need resurfacing as they are uneven and frequently flood, which makes them inaccessible to many. The raised flower beds also need to be replaced as they’re crumbling.

We first started this work in the spring, as this is when Great Crested Newts are generally on the move and so unlikely to be sheltering in the nooks and crannies of the flower beds. Unexpectedly we did find newts! As an environmental charity, the welfare and protection of species like the Great Crested Newt is a top priority for us, so we immediately stopped work.

Images from left to right: eye catching changes start to come together, volunteers construct over 70 gabion baskets, baby Great Crested newt, Newt Licensed and Senior Ranger releases newts to a safe space.

Over the summer months, we've been working closely with an ecologist and Natural England and now our Senior Ranger, Nicola has the required newt license, allowing her to safely and legally relocate the newts. It’s been a very costly delay, but we’re thrilled that we’ve been able to re-start work.

Soon the new raised beds will be planted with a variety of species to delight the senses – sight, smell and touch!

Phase 3 – this is where we need your help!

The first two phases were the foundations of the project – the essential groundwork to make everything else possible. Phase 3 is where all the exciting elements will happen – making the Sensory Wildlife Garden the perfect haven both for people with physical disabilities and/or mental health conditions and also for our much-loved wildlife.

The initial plans produced for the Sensory Wildlife Garden Project 

We want to plant a native hedgerow to border the Garden. Hedgerows are amazing! Not only do they provide homes for so much wildlife, but they’re also nature’s transport system – connecting habitats and giving wildlife safe passage between areas.

Then we’re hoping for a willow tunnel, bog garden and bug wall – interactive areas for visitors young and old to be immersed in nature. 3D sculptures will stimulate sight and touch, gentle wind chimes will calm and comfort, and a wooden hand-crafted celebration wall will provide an area to commemorative special moments and remember loved ones, with a seating area for quiet contemplation.

If we raise all the money we need, this amazing new space will open in 2025 – there's so many benefits this area will deliver:

	A pocket size version of the Millennium Country Park designed for people with physical and mental disabilities.
	A rich sensory experience stimulating  sight, smell, touch and hearing.
	An area for quiet contemplation and reflection, calming and soothing our visitors' mental wellbeing.
	Creating homes for wildlife and improving biodiversity, including habitats for insects, aquatic life, birds and small mammals. This includes improving the habitat for our resident Great crested newts - a European protected species.
	Making life easier for our gardening volunteers, who love and maintain the Garden plant life, giving them improved access to the raised beds.
	Creation of an area designed to engage and improve the quality of life for those with sensory disabilities and mental health problems.
	Reduced maintenance costs for the Charity, removing structures that are currently a drain on resources and replacing with materials chosen for their durability.

The Sensory Wildlife Garden project is being led by our Senior Ranger, Nicola Ceconi, with input and support from our volunteer gardening team. All of the individuals involved are invested in making the project a success and delivering an area of rich sensory experiences and a haven for wildlife.

Help us complete this project - make a donation today!

Every £ will make a difference!