“Keep your eyes peeled for nature and take care of the green spaces” – Friends of Peel Park educate park users about appreciating and respecting nature

Friends of Peel Park are running ‘Eyes Peeled for Nature’ month to raise awareness of our local wildlife.

Eyes Peeled for Nature is a series of virtual events that are taking place throughout March at Peel Park.

The events aim to educate people on our surrounding nature and wildlife, specifically within the park.

Volunteer group, Friends of Peel Park have been doing a great job at keeping the park looking great and conserving the wildlife that live there.

Vice chair at Friends of Peel Park, Laura Clavin said, “the more people know about the species and plants in the park, the more they’ll do to protect it.

“Protection is needed because a lot of the wildlife is endangered.”

Friends of Peel Park volunteer to keep the park looking nice

The meadows in Peel Park are home to newts and toads which are on an endangered list, meaning they are protected by law.

A selection of bee and butterfly species are also found in the park, a lot of these are also in danger of extinction.

“The bees and butterflies rely on the plants in the park for pollination, so if people are destroying the flowers and dropping litter, it’ll detract them from the park which affects the whole eco-system.

“90% of our food depends on the pollination of bees and butterflies.”

With indoor activities being closed for most of the year due to the pandemic, more people have been using the park.

“The fact that more of the public have shown interest in the events and talks shows us that people are starting to care more about protecting the nature.”

Volunteers doing a great job protecting the wildlife

Alongside the growth in consideration of nature, there has been a problem with littering in the park.

“We’re trying to educate people on litter, a lot of the students last week were leaving their rubbish and it’s us that has to take time cleaning it up because litter can’t be left due to the wildlife.

“In the park there are so many bins which all get emptied two or three times a week so there’s no excuse not to use them.

“We want everyone to use the park respectfully, but people have left rucksacks, blankets, and barbecues. It’s not hard to put it in the bin.”

Picking litter is a great way to help the local environment and there are always volunteering sessions advertised on the Friends of Peel Park Facebook page where you can help them with gardening and other activities.

The events are organised for the next two months, five being the maximum number of volunteers now due to the pandemic so you must book a place.

Staff are busy protecting the wildlife at the park

The park staff made a generous donation to Salford Loaves & Fishes earlier this month by collecting food at drop-off points in the park.

They have decided to do a collection on 2nd April for Heatons Cat Rescue and Animals in Distress, taking donations of cat and dog food.

“I also volunteer for the Heatons Cat Rescue and they are really struggling because they haven’t had enough funding from the government.

“The food helps them so much because they get a lot of homeless cats which take a lot to feed and without being able to open the charity shop, they aren’t getting much income.”

Whether you are a cat or dog owner or simply an admirer, any donation is appreciated, whether it is a tin of food, old toys or blankets.

If you are not able to make it on 2nd April, then you can message the Facebook page beforehand.