An early collaboration (June 2021) with Wildlife Friendly Otley (WFO) saw WMS being asked to make 5 swift boxes for Westgate Primary School in Otley, which were then installed by Bob M and Stuart.
Whilst on site WFO asked us to refurbish an old butterfly garden that had been constructed in one corner of the playground, however its condition was well beyond ‘repair’.
The price of replacement timbers was considerable and after providing material costs, we awaited ‘instruction’. Unfortunately, the approved funding for the school did not materialise until December that year and thus an anticipated summer task became a very cold January ’22 project.
All the old ‘end-on’ sleepers and rotten driven posts were removed, holes created for new fence posts at each change of angle (the paved area is octagonal) and Visqueen membrane was fixed to new posts and as a ‘backing’ to new horizontal timbers.
With a need to match the existing paving layout, each angle had to be separately measured and cut accordingly. Much hand sawing thankfully kept our members warm during several very cold winter days.
The end result will now last for many more years and allow future primary school pupils to watch the butterflies attracted to all the new planting which was completed by Courtyards Planters of Otley.
