Sixmilewater Park is all set to provide a new home for a range of local creatures! Thanks to funding from ASDA Supermarket, Newtownabbey Borough Council has added an extra dimension to our local park in the form of a native hedgerow. 

 

It is widely known that the loss of hedgerows in farmland is having a major impact on our wildlife. They provide food and homes for a range of birds, insects and mammals and also provide important transport corridors to allow the safe movement of species from one area to another. Native hedgerows also provide us with shelter and are an attractive addition to the landscape. 

 

The planting of the native hedgerow in the Sixmilewater Park is part of an ongoing project funded by ASDA’s “Get Involved” campaign which aims to provide assistance to environmental projects in the local community. 

 

This project is co-ordinated by Lindsay Matthews, Newtownabbey Borough Council’s Biodiversity Officer who commented “ASDA have provided us with a great opportunity to do something positive for the wildlife in the Sixmilewater Park. The Council is committed to enhancing the biodiversity of the Borough and we are delighted that the ASDA group is so pro-active for the local community and environment.” 

 

This event is just of one of many in the borough to promote Newtownabbey’s Local Biodiversity Action Plan “The Future in Our Hands”. To find out more about biodiversity in Newtownabbey contact the council biodiversity officer (tel: 028 90340069) or see www.newtownabbey.gov.uk .