THE LEADER of a nature conservation group in Basingstoke is encouraging people to get more engaged with nature, as he takes biodiversity into his own hands.

Paul Beevers runs Hatch Warren Nature Group, which was set up in 2014 to turn St Marks Meadow and Woodbury Ride into areas rich in wildflowers attracting butterflies, bees, and birds.

Paul said: “I lead one of several nature conservation's in the borough, which is called Hatch Warren Nature Group.

“This was established in 2014 with the intention of to restore in Basingstoke is particularly good for restoring wildflowers."

The two sites are close to St Mark's CofE Primary School and Paul wanted to encourage children to see what they could do with grasslands.

"I wanted to encourage the children and the parents to see what we could do with many of our grasslands instead of just leaving them without any wildflowers,” he told The Gazette.

The group has successfully restored the flowers but now hopes to encourage more people to get involved as we head into a new year.

He added: “We restored the wildflowers, but we would like to get more people involved and that is one of our big things. We would like more people in Hatch Warren to do little things to get more engaged with nature."

The group wants to encourage residents to do small things to make a difference including installing bird boxes and putting holes in fences for hedgehogs.

He added: “We would encourage them to do things like install bird boxes, bird feeders, put holes in fences for hedgehogs, and report hedgehog deaths and even sightings to Hedgehog Street.

Hedgehog Street is a UK-based conservation initiative set up by two charitable organisations, the People's Trust for Endangered Species and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

Paul said: “We want people to do small things and gradually we just want people to get more engaged with one in another and if we can get people to do things like that that would be great.

“That is our big aim for the new year.”

Paul is also hoping to inspire people to come forward and encourage their neighbours to do more to help nature.

He said: “We would like somebody to come forward who is willing to talk to their neighbours to encourage them to put in more bird boxes and bird feeders and grow a few wildflowers.”

In 2007 Paul set up the Old Down and Beggarwood Wildlife Group before moving to Hatch Warren and said he is “extremely” sad about the “loss of nature” that Basingstoke is currently experiencing.

“I have been doing it because I am extremely sad at the loss of nature that we are experiencing, and I want young people, in particular, to learn to understand the importance wildlife has on our lives and to their futures."

For more information about the group, visit: http://naturalbasingstoke.org.uk/hatch-warren-nature-group/.