November 2023

20
Pollinator Pathways
Have you ever walked down a street
and wondered why there were no
weeds anywhere, or why the foliage
around trees remained wilted and brown?
This is because most streets in the UK are
sprayed with weed-killing herbicides.
Wanstead Village Directory
Wanstead resident Karen Myers is a champion of Redbridge Council’s
Pollinator Pathways, a scheme designed to reduce the use of pesticides
on our streets and help residents grow wild flowers outside their homes
Many of you will know that Redbridge Council
promote a scheme for residents to adopt
the tree pit outside their own home and,
instead of it being sprayed, sow wild flower
seeds instead. This is win-win; there are fewer
harmful chemicals in the area and bees and
other pollinators have an extra source of food.
This marvellous initiative has led to gloriously
colourful pockets of nature. However, it
still means the kerbsides in your street are
being routinely sprayed with glyphosate, a
herbicide which many other places are now
phasing out.
Last year, I happened upon a new Redbridge
scheme: Pollinator Pathways. Residents
take over their whole street and spraying
stops. Five local streets are taking part:
Addison Road, Chaucer Road, Spratt
Hall Road, Woodcote Road and half of
Overton Drive.
To join the Pollinator Pathways scheme, a
certain number of residents from the road
must commit to helping out and a leader in
each road is needed to fill out the initial forms.
This year, the five Wanstead leaders formed
a WhatsApp group and found that each road
organised themselves differently. In our road,
we had one meeting all together and then
decided to take care of different parts of the
road in smaller groups. We formed a separate
gardening WhatsApp group and regularly
kept in touch, helping each other out with
seeds, plants and advice. Other roads had
working parties through the year and met in
someone’s front garden at the end of the hour
for a cup of tea and a chat.
According to Buglife, in the last 20 years there
has been a catastrophic 60% decline in flying
insects and the UK is infamously known as
one of the most nature-depleted places in
the world. Our beleaguered pollinators are
poisoned by herbicides, face loss of habitat
and cannot find enough nectar and pollen to
survive – so schemes like this are vital.
Other towns and boroughs across the country
have drastically reduced spraying by using a
more nature-friendly approach. In Redbridge,
the Pollinator Pathways scheme is the first
step towards reducing pesticide use and
helping to reverse decades of nature decline.
It feels good to walk down a road knowing
it has not been sprayed and that neighbours
have come together to make the area a better
place for everyone.
Tree pit adoption and Pollinator Pathways
applications are open until 31 December.
For more information, visit wnstd.com/pp
For more information on Pesticide-Free
Redbridge visit wnstd.com/pfr
To advertise, call 020 8819 6645 or visit wnstd.com