New wildlife haven created on Telford Town Park island

Birds, butterflies, and bats will be well looked after this year as volunteers transform a hidden island into a wildlife haven.

The project is taking place on The Crannog at Grange Pool in Telford Town Park. Work became possible after a broken bridge was replaced with a new concrete and steel structure.

The Friends of Telford Town Park (FOTTP) have started cutting back overgrowth on the island. This is the first step in the next phase of the project.

Volunteers plan to install bird hides, feeding stations, and bat boxes. Benches will also be added for bird watching.

Andy Bunn, Secretary of FOTTP, said: “Work is well underway on the next phase of our project, and we are very excited to be another step closer.”

The project relies on local support. Dobbies Garden Centre in Donnington has already donated four large bags of bird feed.

Julie Butler from Dobbies Telford said: “It is a pleasure to be able to support the Friends of Telford Town Park on this project. Creating this island gives the community an opportunity to help protect birds, butterflies and bats.”

The Crannog was originally built in the 1990s for wildlife study. The word ‘Crannog’ is Celtic for ‘man-made island.’

The wider project includes repairing the Onion seating area and clearing pathways around the pool. Local business Simmonds Transport is also supporting the efforts.

FOTTP currently has 25 members. They hold gardening sessions on Wednesday mornings and one Saturday a month.