A GROWING group of green-fingered Reading residents are hoping to transform the town with a new network of wild and natural spaces.

Neighbours in Southcote started planting flowers, herbs and other edible plants in Coronation Square on Friday as a way to help wildlife and bring their community together, but they are hoping to do much more.

The gregarious group are getting expert advice from the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), which is now hoping to help eight-to-ten such projects in Reading over the next year-and-a-half as part of its new Nextdoor Nature project.

One of the champions of the Coronation Square works is Nahulasalingam Abiram - known affectionately to locals as Abs. As well as running the square's community shop and the Jas Cafe & Grill, he also runs the Southcote Post Office from his shop - but still found time to help on Friday.

Mr Abiram said:
"This is a nice area: there are schools around here and a beautiful park, it's a massive multicultural community, so we want to build that community.

"It's fantastic because we're already growing - next summer when they see the flowers it will really have that 'wow factor' - everyone will smile and it will create great impressions for everyone."

The effort to spruce up Coronation Square was spearheaded by Reading Borough Council Neighbourhood Initiatives Officer Joe Northcote.

He explained:
"I was working with young offenders to get these planters to look less hostile - to make it a clearer, safer space. I got in touch with Food for Families to see if we could improve it and get the community more involved, then Beth Scott from Food4Families put me in touch with Ed from the wildlife trust to develop it. I also brought in local business volunteers at S & P Global with a bit of help from a charity, Connect Reading.

"It's a nice site, you've got the shops around, people like to meet here and chat, and I think getting involved in nature is a really nice thing to do - it would be nice to bring over some of the people involved in the nursery across the road, the children's centre and the library, and get them to do some stuff with the planters and learn about nature. We'd like it to be sustainable, something that continues to be looked after in future."

Many of the gardeners helping on Friday will be back at Coronation Square this Monday (October 24) for the borough council's wellbeing day at Southcote Community Centre.

BBOWT’s Community Wildlife Officer Ed Munday is hoping to do some more planting but also speak to people about his 18-month mission to make Reading a wilder place.

As well as Coronation Square, BBOWT is also working with Newtown Community Garden 'rewilding' project on the other side of town as part of the wildlife trust’s National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported Nextdoor Nature project.

Ed Munday said:
"We are here to support people in the fantastic work that they're already doing - giving expert advice about planting or community engagement.

"We can offer training, support and advice so they can lead their own project; so they can protect places that matter to them, and put their aspirations for nature at the heart of the approach. It's all about helping them on the journey they've already embarked on."

To find out more about the project, and if you are interested in getting help with your community nature project, go to bbowt.org.uk/nextdoor-nature-projects

Nextdoor Nature is bringing communities together to help nature flourish where they live and work. Thanks to £5million funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Nextdoor Nature will provide people with the advice and support they need to help nature on their doorstep, and leave a lasting legacy to mark The Queen's Platinum Jubilee.