Gardeners hope to inject vibrant new life and colour into Harborough's Welland Park

A popular park at the heart of Market Harborough is being made more diverse and more friendly to birds and insects.

Harborough council is driving through a bold blueprint to inject vibrant new life and colour into Welland Park, which sits between Coventry Road and Welland Park Road, to make it even better.

And the authority hopes that the ambitious new eco initiative will help to land the park – which also boasts a sports pitch, tennis courts, café and children’s playground – coveted Green Flag status.

Gardeners are bringing in more all-year-round planting as well as stepping up biodiversity.

Perennial longer-flowering plants and shrubs are to be planted and flower beds near the toilets are being turned into a wildflower meadow with blossom trees.

The Green Flag Award scheme is run by Keep Britain Tidy to showcase well-managed parks and green spaces.

“As part of an ongoing plan for the park and our open spaces, we are looking at how we can increase biodiversity.

“One of the areas we are looking at is the flower beds, which are at present only planted up in the summer, and with annual bedding which is not as beneficial for insects and wildlife,” said a Harborough council spokesman.

“The aim is to move the beds back to the tennis courts and then plant them up with a mix of perennial longer flowering plants and shrubs to offer more habitat for birds.

“We will still have some annual bedding but this will be reduced to allow for the longer flowering perennials.

“This will also assist with a reduction in watering once the plants are established, therefore also benefiting the environment.

“The volunteers on the park have been part of this process and support the aim of increasing biodiversity.

“We thank them for their continued support on this project and the help they offer to the council,” added the spokesman.

A small army of dedicated Harborough In Bloom volunteers will continue to look after the Rose Garden.

They are also talking to the council about maintaining and taking care of much-loved flower beds by the bowls pavilion.