Town pledges to become butterfly friendly

A town council has pledged to do its bit to protect butterflies and moths in a new partnership project with a conservation charity.

Butterfly friendly pathways are among the plans for Northwich town centre as part of the initiative, a Northwich Town Council spokesperson said.

They said the council was the fourth council in England and the first in Cheshire to become a butterfly-friendly council.

The initiative, run in partnership with the Butterfly Conservation charity, will see pupils from 20 schools planting pollinator-friendly plants across the town centre on 4 June.

Butterflies and moths are considered important indicators of environmental health, but more than half of the UK's butterfly species are in long-term decline due to habitat loss and pollution, the charity has said.

Rupert Adams, chair of the Cheshire and Wirral branch of Butterfly Conservation, said: "Our native butterflies and moths are in trouble as a result of habitat fragmentation, pesticide use and climate change, but positive action like that being taken by the town council gives us cause for hope."

Northwich town mayor Julie Macdonald said: "Small changes - from planting pollinator-friendly flowers to creating connected habitats can make a big difference, and we're proud to be playing our part."

Butterfly friendly pathways are being created from High Street up to Northwich Train Station.

Pupils taking part in the initiative will also get to pot and take home a pollinator-friendly plant to create their own butterfly-friendly spaces in their gardens.

Each town centre planter will contain a plaque to show which school planted it and a QR code with advice on how to create a butterfly-friendly garden.

The project, which also involves Northwich BID and Northwich Rotary, requires actions over the next three years such as creating a biodiversity plan to save nature, ensuring access to green space for residents and ending the use of pollinator-killing pesticides.

The council is also encouraging residents to get involved in the project by planting nectar-rich flowers, creating wildlife habitats at home, and reducing the use of pesticides to support butterflies and other pollinators.

The pledge has already been adopted by councils in Cambridge, Lancaster and Gillingham in Dorset.

Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.