A disused air raid shelter in Trafford has become an environmental powerhouse thanks to a community allotment group.
The committee and various tenants have transformed the shelter, located within the beautiful 45-plot Brookfield Allotment on Brook Road, Urmston, shelter into a support for wildlife, with a wildflower garden on the roof and a bug hotel. The shelter also helps the allotment group conserve rainwater, of major importance to the environment.
The group has planted a stunning wildflower garden on the roof of the shelter and created environmentally friendly features including bee/bug hotels, insect and bird drinking stations, a hedgehog house, and frog and toad shelters. They have also planted various plants outside the bunker including verbena, foxgloves, strawberries, sunflowers, geraniums, and sweet peas.
They recently received National Lottery Funding of £1,880 which will be used to build on a current environmental project to transform an underused area into a thriving habitat to support wildlife and reduce water usage. The money will be used to harvest rainwater, build wildlife shelters, a bog garden, and to finance community events.
Treasurer Lisa Smith explained:
“The air raid shelter is an amazing historic building and, rather than let it fall into complete disuse, we decided to make it a big feature of our allotment. We have worked very hard to ensure the shelter plays a big part in our environmental project. Since World War Two, pollinators have been under threat due to the loss of 97 per cent of wildflower habitats, so it is ironic that we have planted our wildlife garden on the roof of the shelter. “
