main content The wild and walkable Beck Corridor

An event to raise awareness of the ‘Beck Corridor’ is being held on Saturday 26th May at Croydon Road Recreation Ground, Beckenham. Opportunities for walking for health and conserving wildlife will be promoted. The event will celebrate the natural environment of the Beck Corridor and its value to people and biodiversity. The event will run from 11am to 3pm and will be held a stone’s throw from Beckenham High Street.

“The Beck Corridor contains a number of different habitats, suitable for all ages to explore. There will be a chance for people to chat with conservation experts and pick up leaflets about how individuals can encourage wildlife in the area, as well as learning about the benefits of incorporating walking into a healthy lifestyle. There are plenty of opportunities for both in the Beck Corridor!” said Ewa Prokop, Countryside Projects Officer.

Free bee homes, bird boxes and wildflower plug plants will be available to residents of the Beck Corridor (conditions apply). For younger visitors, there will be wildlife face-painting and badge or fridge magnet-making activities.

The ‘Beck Corridor’ a network of green spaces around Beckenham and West Wickham, close to the River Beck. This includes St. George’s Churchyard, Kelsey Park, Harvington Estate, High Broom Wood and Spring Park, as well as the gardens, allotments, sports grounds and railway embankments in the area.

The event forms part of the ‘Walking with Beetles’ initiative, created by Bromley Council and supported by Transport for London and the EU LIFE Environment Programme. The initiative has focussed on enhancing green spaces through the Beck Corridor and encouraging local people to enjoy them. A walking route through the Beck Corridor is currently being drawn up and is due to be printed as a trail this summer. This follows the publication of ‘Walking with Beetles… to School!’, produced during 2006 to promote wildlife observation to seven to eleven year olds on their way to and from school.

Information leaflets are available at local libraries. Information is also available at www.bromleybiodiversity.co.uk or by calling the Council’s Countryside and Community team on 01689 862 815.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• The event is taking place in Croydon Road Recreation Ground behind Sainsbury’s on Beckenham High Street.
• The ‘Walking with Beetles’ initiative aims to: enhance the environment around ‘The Beck Corridor’; promote understanding of the biodiversity within its green spaces; encourage its enjoyment through walking and the use of sustainable transport. The initiative gains its name from the fact that Beckenham is a population hotspot for the threatened stag beetle and as such it provides an ideal icon.
• The event takes place in a meadow originally purchased by the Local Board in 1890. Its purpose was to benefit local citizens and those confined to the then cottage hospital as it afforded “a pleasurable and cheerful prospect from wards”. Since then the benefits of green environments for promoting health and relaxation have been well-researched; it therefore provides an appropriate venue for relaying the physical and mental benefits of walking.
• Stands at the event include: Bromley Biodiversity Partnership, London Biodiversity Partnership, Bromley Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Buglife, Walking the Way to Health Initiative, Bromley Active Lifestyles, People’s Trust for Endangered Species and displays from other organisations, including the Green Chain Project.
• Further information on the project is available at www.bromleybiodiversity.co.uk

For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers on 020 8461 7670 or andrew.rogers@bromley.gov.uk 

For information about the event please ring Ewa Prokop, Countryside Projects Officer, on 01689 862 815, or email ewa.prokop@bromley.gov.uk