PUDLESTON Village Hall has been welcoming local residents and wildlife to its newly revived gardens, completed with help from funding from the Kingspan Insulation Community Trust.

Set in the heart of North Herefordshire, Pudleston's rural yet friendly community life, centres around its village hall. As Helen Clarke, from the Pudleston Village Hall Management Committee, explains: "With very few local amenities, our village hall plays a pivotal role in providing a central meeting point. However, its surrounding gardens had become neglected, and we decided to apply for a grant from the Kingspan Insulation Community Trust to help us regenerate the area. The aim was to create an environment where all of our users can appreciate and enjoy our local flora and fauna, whilst also encouraging a greater understanding of the ways we can protect and conserve the world around us."

The committee received a £1638 grant from the trust and the work began by improving the diversity of plants to attract more wildlife to the grounds.

Overgrown hedges were laid and hedging plants such as guelder rose, hawthorn, spindle and hazel were incorporated to provide food for insects, such as butterflies and bees.

Over time, the hedgerows will be allowed to grow denser, offering birds, insects and even small mammals a safe place to nest and shelter.

A wildflower meadow was also created in front of the hall, with native species planted to attract further wildlife. A new oak bench was also purchased with the grant money and installed next to the meadow, creating a quiet spot for users to relax and enjoy the beauty of the area.

To further encourage engagement with the hall's conservation efforts, an all-weather display board was erected amongst the wildflowers. The educational, interactive display allows residents to identify and even record their sightings of the birds and insects attracted to the area, as well as the wildflowers themselves. The remainder of the funding has been used to purchase a variety of bug-catching and collecting equipment for the hall's active Rainbows group, who have been studying the insects in more detail, instilling in them a love and interest in the natural world around them.

Chairman of the Kingspan Insulation Community Trust, John Garbutt, concluded: "Herefordshire has a rich diversity of local plant and animal life, and the trust is thrilled to be able to support projects which embrace everything the local environment has to offer for the benefit of all members of the local community."

Anyone within the catchment areas of Wigmore High School, Lady Hawkins' School, Earl Mortimer College in Herefordshire and Tenbury High Ormiston Academy in Worcestershire, and the Parish of Sherburn-in-Elmet in North Yorkshire is able to apply for funding from the Kingspan Insulation Community Trust. Projects requiring funding must meet at least one of the Trust's four objectives. These cover conservation, encouraging biodiversity, health and fitness of young people, along with road safety. There is no limit to the number of applications that can be submitted.

Application forms, and details of other local projects involving the Trust, can be viewed on the website kingspaninsulationcommunitytrust.org