The BSO’s Green Team was formed to help drive our environmental efforts across every area of the Company, ensuring that our actions align with our commitment to preserve the planet we all call home. As part of our bid to support nature in the local area, the BSO Green Team is also dedicated to volunteering with local conservation initiatives.
As one of our most local green spaces, Upton Country Park, features 160 acres of park and woodland, 2.6km of shoreline, 32 acres of formal garden, 6 types of natural habitat and 2,000 years of history! Conservation is a key part of what they do, and we were lucky enough to join them for a day to support this vital work.
Upton Country Park, Poole
Their hedgerow conservation project involves restoring a 200-year-old hedge, with the task of clearing vegetation around young trees to help them flourish. As hedgerows form vital wildlife corridors (providing food, shelter and safe passage all year round) they are key in supporting biodiversity and thus an important way that we can protect nature as a society.
The group of BSO Green Team members joined regular volunteers at the park in late September to work on the project. Kitted out in waterproofs (needed) and provided with tools, they got cracking and cleared brambles, weeds and grass from around young hedge trees. Intermittent showers added some drama to the day!
Upton Country Park Ranger, Rowan Booth, talks the team through tasks for the day
The ultimate aim of the hedgerow project is to connect with other sites in the area, with the goal of eventually becoming part of the Wareham Arc, one of 22 large-scale nature recovery projects in England. Wareham Arc has the ambition of improving habitat connectivity so that wildlife can move more easily around our beautiful region of Dorset.
We had a great day and it was very satisfying to see the difference made to the hedgerow, below…
Before: Dense vegetation overgrowing young hedge trees
After: Much vegetation cleared along long stretch of hedgerow, allowing young hedge trees to flourish
All in all the team cleared three trucks of the below trucks of vegetation — many hands make light work!
Every member of our orchestra, whether on stage or behind the scenes, plays a vital role. Together, we all have a duty to help protect our planet, so it is fit for future generations to come.Find out more about the BSO’s Green Team here
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