LEADING housebuilder David Wilson Homes is encouraging families in Berkshire to get their little ones involved in making their garden a home for wildlife this autumn.

Now that the nights are drawing in, it’s a great time to make the most of the garden and teach the children more about our environment.

Rob Allen, Sales Director at David Wilson Homes Southern, said: “As a leading homebuilder, it is very important for us to consider and protect the environment at every step of the housebuilding process.

“Our partnership with the RSPB is important in demonstrating how we can protect and enhance the biodiversity of the local area, benefitting our customers and the wildlife around our developments.

“We’ve handpicked these fantastic tips from the RSPB as the easiest and least time-consuming ways that customers moving into their new homes can do their bit for nature.”

Whether you’ve got a few flowerpots, a balcony or a large garden, David Wilson Homes and the RSPB have got some activities for you to try to inspire the little ones this autumn.

Create nature highways and byways

Many of our garden creatures need to move freely between gardens. Put yourself in the shoes (feet or paws) of different creatures and see how easy would it be to get around your garden.

To make it easier, add gaps at the base of wooden fences, making sure that you check with neighbours and think about pets. Let some of your lawn grow longer as voles, shrews, frogs, toads and hedgehogs like to move through long grass. You could add a climbing plant to your garden, this will act as a ladder for some creatures. Finally, get your children to help you to plant trees and shrubs, these will act as stepping stones and a good mix of both provides cover as well as allowing them to move along the floor.

Open a hedgehog café

Get the children involved in feeding hungry hogs this summer to help them build the energy to raise hoglets and their fat reserves for their winter hibernation. First of all, you will need to find a safe place, then find a sturdy box made out of wood or plastic with a removable lid for the feeding station. Create a hedgehog-sized hole at the base of one of the sides of the box, about 13cm square. As the sun goes down, lay shallow dishes of hedgehog-friendly food and water inside the box, adding the roof and placing a brick or two on top of the lid to stop any other creatures eating the food. Make sure you clear up any leftovers in the morning.

Build a bug hotel

Safe hideaways can be hard for wildlife to find in some gardens so why not find some odds and ends around the house and the garden and build a bug hotel, getting the children involved with the creepy crawlies.

First, choose a suitable site where the ground is level and firm and you will need a strong and stable framework that’s no more than a metre high. Old wooden pallets are perfect for a large hotel.

The idea is to provide all sorts of nooks and crannies, crevices, tunnels and cosy beds to fill the gaps materials that work great include: dead wood and bark, dry leaves, sticks, corrugated cardboard, stones, tiles and wooden or paper tubes. Add a roof of old roof tiles or old planks. Most activity will be after dark so go out with a torch to see who is popping in and out.

A perfect bird bath

Watching your garden birds coming in for a drink or a brush can be quite a performance so get the little ones interested in the wildlife by creating your own bird bath.

Lay out four bricks on a piece of open lawn or border, put an upturned, galvanised dustbin lid on top of the bricks, then place stones or pebbles in the lid to give birds better grip. Finally, fill with water (tap water is fine) and watch, ticking off the birds every time you see a new one!

Create a mini pond

Water brings a magical quality to your garden and is key to life for all creatures. Find or buy a large container, it could be an old sink or even a washing up bowl. Put your container in a safe place while it’s empty. Then, make sure that wildlife can get in and out by using bricks, rocks or logs to create stepping stones.

Next, prepare your pond sealing any drainage holes, put a layer of pebbles, stones or gravel at the bottom and finally, you can fill the pond, using rainwater if possible.

Pond creatures are great at finding ponds, so watch and wait to see what arrives! If you get any algae or blanket weed, get children to remove it by winding it around a stick – it’s fun!

Gareth Brede at the RSPB said: “We all enjoy seeing wildlife in our garden. A garden just does not feel right without birdsong, buzzing bees and the wonderful natural noises that make this part of our home a peaceful refuge from everyday life.

“The brilliant thing is that creating a wildlife friendly garden can be simple, giving you something to enjoy and be proud of, as well as providing food and shelter for the UK’s wildlife.”

To find out more about the RSPB and for more tips on how to create a wildlife friendly garden, visit www.rspb.org.uk.

To find out more about David Wilson Homes’ properties, please call the David Wilson Homes sales team on 033 3355 8487 or visit www.dwh.co.uk.