THE Dalry Station Garden Group have been awarded £4000 to help wildlife flourish in the area.

The volunteers who keep the station looking fantastic are one of just five groups in Scotland to receive cash help.

Dalry has one of Scotland’s largest station gardens, embracing rough grassland, woodland and flowerbeds. The adopter group’s bid creates a wild pollinator habitat and shrub planting to offer forage for animals attracted by the area’s network of nesting sites, and envisages annual grass-cutting and keeping invasive species in check.

The funding was provided as part of the ScotRail Adopt-a-Station programme which is supported by environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful. The funding allows local adopt-a-station volunteers to help maintain a good environment for people using and working in local stations - enhancing the appearance of the stations through activities such as planting, gardening and encouraging biodiversity.

The announcement was made as part of a national event for all ScotRail Adopt-a-Station volunteer groups held in Glasgow. At the event Keep Scotland Beautiful, working in partnership with ScotRail, provided all attendees with a biodiversity toolkit.

Anne Bell, of the Dalry Station Garden Group said: “Dalry Station Garden Group (DSGG) volunteers are delighted that we have been successful in being awarded £4000 from ScotRail’s Biodiversity Fund.

“Working in conjunction with Abellio, ScotRail, Plantlife Scotland, Friends of the Earth, the RSPB and Butterfly Conservation, the gardening group plan to create a wild pollinator habitat, which in turn will help maintain an ecological green network in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire.

“This resting and foraging ‘oasis’ will help wildlife species, such as bees and butterflies and small birds and mammals. that are able to travel through the countryside to reach other foraging and nesting sites, by providing an area of bushes and grassland that will provide sources of food, pollen and nectar throughout the spring, summer and autumn.”

Fiona Middler is pictured below (centre) representing DSGG at the announcement.