Blundell’s School in Tiverton have created a wonderful wildlife garden for the students, staff, and the wider community to enjoy. The garden aims to provide an opportunity for everyone to learn about horticulture, healthy food production, sustainability and environmental stewardship with biodiversity and wildlife at its heart – it’s no wonder they were successful applicants of our Wildlife Garden Award!

They created a pond a few years ago and said, “The addition of the pond has been the single biggest increase for biodiversity. We have toads, frogs, newts, dragonflies, damselflies, numerous other invertebrates and even a visiting grass snake.” It sounds like a truly fantastic place for people and nature!

With many of our freshwater species struggling due to degradation of our ponds, rivers and streams, we need to ensure that we are creating space for nature in our communities. Adding a pond is one of the best ways we can help our local wildlife - even a small pond can make the world of difference for our aquatic friends! 

If you're feeling inspired by Blundell's School, why not find somewhere in your community that you could (with permission) install a pond. No matter the size, a pond will provide homes to a huge range of wildlife from damsel and dragonflies, to frogs and newts. Ponds can also be feeding grounds for birds, hedgehogs and bats!

A network of small ponds in a neighbourhood could be better than just a few large ones, and mini ponds can be constructed from a whole range of containers such as old barrels, wheelbarrows, large plant pots, or even old sinks! 

You can find out more about creating a pond or mini pond in this guide:

Wild About Gardens - Pond Guide