Latest news with #NicolaOakey
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chelsea Flower Show garden opens on Hull estate
An award-winning garden from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will officially open at its new home in Hull later. The Songbird Survival Garden has been relocated to the Alf Marshall Community Centre on Goodhart Road, Bransholme after winning a silver gilt medal at the prestigious show. Almost two years on since the initial bid for the garden, it is hoped the space can become a place of peace and tranquillity for the local community. Lucy Carew and Sarah Weichardt, joint chief executives of The Neighbourhood Network charity, said it was a "dream come true" to see the garden come to life. "We can't quite believe it if we're honest," said Ms Weichardt. "It is such a beautiful space. We come into the garden and we look at it and we're like, oh my god, this is just amazing. "There's nothing like this around here and we're just really excited to open the gates to the community." The garden is part of a wider project at the site to overhaul the existing outdoor space for the local community, previously described by Ms Carew as a "concrete jungle". After appearing at the show in May, the garden was relocated plant-by-plant to Hull where it was reassembled in a space more than double what it had at Chelsea. Designer Nicola Oakey hoped to highlight the plight of the UK songbird and help return the most at risk birds back into our gardens. The garden was inspired by the movement and perspective of a bird, featuring paths winding though layers of bird-friendly plants, which are aimed at helping them feed, shelter and nest. There is a pond to provide water for bathing. The garden will host a further community day on Tuesday 22 June between 13:00 and 15:00 BST so local residents can "see what all the fuss is about", Ms Carew said. "We've been busy planting and building things within the garden, but now we want to open the gates and let everyone enjoy it and get involved. "We're looking for people to make this garden their own as well, to help plan and grow things and be a part of the story." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices Chelsea Flower Show garden relocated to city site Chelsea Flower Show garden to be installed in Hull First Chelsea Flower Show win for garden designer RHS: The Songbird Survival Garden Alf Marshall Community Centre
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Chelsea Flower Show medal for Rutland designer's bird garden
A Rutland-based garden designer has won a medal at her first RHS Chelsea Flower Oakey received a silver gilt for highlighting the plight of the UK song bird in her show SongBird Survival Garden aimed to show the narrative of a bird's daily life with a birdhouse den made from reclaimed materials showing motifs of threatened UK and Stacey actress Alison Steadman was one of the visitors to the garden and said she had picked up some tips to attract birds into her own garden. Ms Oakey said she wanted to include three elements, "shelter, water and food that are instrumental to birds' lives" in her garden. "My design is inspired by the movement and perspective of a bird, foraging for food and water while moving between points of safety and shelter."Two pathways weave between layers of planting, mimicking how birds prefer to move through a network of cover," she Oakey said the garden featured a birdhouse den made from reclaimed materials, with bird-friendly planting which provides natural sources of food and nesting material. 'Family tradition' Ms Oakey said her parents were florists and avid orchid growers, who had won seven gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show previously. She said: "It's just lovely to be able to follow in their footsteps. "It's exciting to follow the family tradition and come to Chelsea." Once the Chelsea Flower show has finished, Ms Oakey says the whole garden will be relocated. "We're taking it on a lorry up to Hull to its permanent home with the Neighbourhood Network Charity, who manage a bustling community centre, based in Bransholme."It currently doesn't have an outside space, so it'll create a lovely place for people to sit and an oasis for birds in the city," she said.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Cat-repellent garden sparks Chelsea Flower Show row
A cat-repellent garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has sparked a row with animal welfare charities. Designers of the SongBird Survival Garden deliberately chose trees with spiky thorns to stop cats from climbing them and disturbing birds. Although intended to raise awareness of the drastic decline of songbirds in the UK, the design has proved contentious with animal rights campaigners, who argue it is unfair to cats. They claimed the thorny trees might harm the pets, suggesting they were being scapegoated for the decline in the bird population. The charity behind the garden dismissed suggestions that it was dangerous to cats. The dispute comes the same week that Monty Don, the veteran broadcaster and horticulturalist, made headlines by unveiling a dog-friendly garden at Chelsea. The SongBird Survival Garden, created by designer Nicola Oakey and sponsored by the Project Giving Back charity, is intended to be a safe haven for songbirds, whose numbers in the UK have fallen by 50 per cent over the last five decades. Sue Morgan, chief executive of SongBird Survival, said the garden deliberately uses hawthorn trees to ward off cats and other predators. 'These trees are a great example of shelter,' she told The Telegraph. 'You can see they have got really long thorns within them. It's a really safe place for a bird to sit because bigger birds, cats or other things couldn't get into the tree. 'So they will sit there and then they'll be able to say 'right and I want to go and get some food' and will use it as a launching point. Birds are very cautious, and they make sure they feel safe before they move around.' She added: 'You can grow your garden and plant it in a way that works for the birds and for the cats so they all have their own spaces. It's about finding that solution. 'Having thorny plants can be a natural deterrent. The cats have plenty of other places to go.' On whether the tree is a danger to cats, she said: 'No, no, no, they just wouldn't go up it. They're intelligent creatures. They would see that and think 'I'll go elsewhere'.' The garden has proved popular with the judges – winning a prestigious silver-gilt award – and songbirds, as droppings on plants show they are using it at night. But Elvira Meucci-Lyons, the chief executive of Mayhew, a London-based charity said: 'As an animal welfare charity, we appreciate the need for spaces for all wildlife to flourish. 'However, we urge people to consider the impact of spaces that might harm cats, either through physical injury from spikes, or through mental injury, such as from sound deterrents. Cat-proof roller fencing can be a kinder alternative.' Daniel Warren-Cummings, the central behaviour officer for the Cats Protection charity, said it was easy to scapegoat cats for the decline in the bird population. He said: 'At Cats Protection and as cat owners, many of us are lovers of birds also. And while it is apparent that there are bigger contributors to bird decline in the UK, such as intensive farming and habitat-loss, we encourage responsible cat ownership to reduce predation of birds. 'Planting of trees that cats will not be motivated to climb is a passive tactic and not directly aiming to harm cats, so there would be no objection. Other measures such as keeping cats in overnight to avoid peak wildlife times such as dawn and dusk and playing with your cat for five to 10 minutes each day will also help to reduce your cat's hunting behaviour outside. 'It is often easier to scapegoat cats rather than to holistically look at and change the entirety of the issues facing bird populations in the UK.' Samantha Prior, from Woodgreen Pets Charity, added: 'Some people prefer cats not to be in their gardens and the ideas used in the SongBird Survival Garden are all safe and won't cause any harm to our feline friends. 'However, it's important to remember that cats love to be outdoors and exploring – it's in their DNA. It would be good to see gardens being promoted not for keeping cats out, but for showing people how they can create a cat-friendly garden that appeals to both people and cats. 'If people want to encourage cats to stay in their own garden for adventures, there are loads of great ways to do this. For example, including lots of cat-friendly plants, such as cat mint and cat nip, shrubbery and plant pots will keep cats entertained and give them somewhere to relax or hide, while also still looking visually appealing.'
