Local children and staff from Woodhouse Park Family Centre in Wythenshawe joined the MIX MANCHESTER team to install a series of special bug hotels for the mini beasts at the 60-acre site at Manchester Airport.
The children, aged 5-11, and their care team helped to create and decorate 20 bug hotels to encourage biodiversity across the site which is being developed with long-term sustainability in mind.
Commenting on this latest community project, Caitlin Callaghan, head of marketing at MAG Property, said: “We recently launched the public consultation for MIX MANCHESTER which has been designed to be a world-class destination for science, innovation and technology businesses. Making a positive contribution to the local area and encouraging biodiversity across the site before, during and after development is crucial to the development’s success and we’re delighted the children were able to join us to create these special habitats for all the insects and bugs that are thriving across the site. These will be carefully preserved and managed during further phases of development to ensure we protect and encourage as much wildlife as possible.”
The children listened to a talk on the importance of biodiversity and wildlife by Clarissa Smith from place designers, Planit – who design for all life to thrive in balance. Clarissa said: “The children were really interested in the need to look after even the smallest of creatures, and they did a great job of decorating their signs which will sit alongside the bug hotels. MIX MANCHESTER has been designed with biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and wellbeing at its core so starting by introducing the local children to see the site and understand which animals already live here is key to achieving the vision.”
Clare North, manager at Woodhouse Park Family Centre, said: “We’d like to thank everyone who was involved in arranging this incredible trip. Our children had an amazing time installing the bug hotels – and were excited to visit a real-life hotel themselves – many for the first time!
“We can’t wait to bring the children back in the coming months so they can see which bug species have already moved into their bug hotels.”
Following the event, the children and team were hosted by Accor for a tour of the Holiday Inn and ibis Budget hotels at MIX MANCHESTER’S hotel district where they enjoyed a picnic lunch and range of nature related activities.
Once completed, MIX MANCHESTER will be one of the largest science and innovation campuses in the UK, delivering two million sq. ft. of high-quality advanced manufacturing and science space. Creating up to 8,000 jobs, It will be the only UK campus of its kind adjacent to an international airport.
Members of the public wishing to view or provide feedback on the plans for MIX MANCHESTER can do so via the website (www.mix-manchester.com) or by calling a dedicated freephone number on 0800 068 8471.
Local in-person events will be held at Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre on Portway, Wythenshawe, on Monday 9 September from 9:30am – 2:30pm and Tuesday 17 September from 4:30pm – 7:30pm.