London
Buglife
11 Mar 2025
On a Tuesday in March, Westfield Stratford and Urban Planters joined GreenTheUK for a volunteering event in partnership with Buglife and the Magpie Project. Together, we planted across two areas at the Grass Roots Centre, an important community space where the Magpie Project provides a safe space for Mums and minis suffering in temporary or insecure accomodation.
In the morning, we started work on the sloped roof of the centre, which blends into the park (like a hobbit house!). We planted 1,000 plug plants including species like common catsear, white clover, thyme, red clover and more. In the future, the Magpie Project hopes to take children on bug walks and have picnics in the newly enhanced space which will attracts bugs and bees.
After lunch, the team got to work on the planters in the children's play area which were moved alongside the entrance to the centre. The planters were filled with soil and lots of child-friendly species like lavender, oregano, fennel and marjoram. The end result was fantastic and the herbs will be used by the Magpie Project to add flavour and freshness to the food they provide for the community.
