The latest contribution to the renewal project at Allens View came on Thursday last - owl and bird boxes and some ‘bug hotels.’

Not only is Richard Reed (manager at Trevayne Farm) a land trustee for Allens View, but as a volunteer, he has done the grass and path strimming there for several years. As part of the scheme for Allens View, he identified encouraging wildlife as an objective, so set his team at Trevayne to work, planning, making and donating several bird boxes and ‘bug hotels’, based on similar work at Trevayne.

Edd Wilmot was the designer and maker and fitted the boxes to suitable trees, with the help of Simone Ritter. They also chose the spots for several bug hotels, including a five-star multi-layered ‘royal bughouse’ multi-storey bug hotel, including protected spaces for small mammals to shelter, a roof-top wet zone for any frogs wandering up the coast path, which would also serve for birds to drink from, and of course lots of predator-free shelter for insects and spaces stuffed with plenty of yummy rotting food types for them.

The long-life grey-green bird boxes (each with a slate roof) were fitted using flexible fastenings to allow the trunks of their host trees to grow over the seasons. The box locations are mostly easy to see from the paths in Allens View; hopefully occupants will be too.

Edd Wilmot’s sense of humour is best seen in the postbox bird box, which won’t confuse any postmen as it is 15-feet up and five inches across; bright red, it shouldn’t be too hard to spot. A large Tawny owl box is tucked away, high up near the edge of the site, with a perching rod affording good views out over the adjoining valley.

While Edd and Simone were having all the fun of finding locations and fitting these, Richard Reed had the more mundane job of the first spring grass strimming and then planting some donated woodland flower plants, while Marise was preparing and re-painting the metal Monkstone View bench and Harry Gardiner was cleaning and re-preserving the Bill Cavill hardwood memorial bench facing the middle glade of bluebells.

This is a good example of the support the Civic Society is hoping for from local businesses - money or gifts in kind.

So far, lots of the public and society members have made donations, but only four contributions have come from businesses. There is a lot more to do, especially in the autumn and winter, as well as next spring, but the higher cost items can only be done if further contributions come in, care of Tenby Civic Society, Cofion Books, Bridge Street Tenby, SA70 7BU.