ONE of the founding members of Plastic Free Jersey hopes to turn a ‘little pocket’ of St Saviour into a safe haven to help young people ‘engage with nature’, after she noticed the amount of litter being left in the area.
Sheena Brockie explained that she often walks her dog in fields near Fountain Lane.
‘It’s very close to built-up areas but feels a million miles away,’ she said, adding that it was often ‘messed up’ with lots of litter.
She said: ‘When I went back to clean it up there was a small gaggle of teenage boys sitting there in the cold, just chatting and drinking cans of fizzy drinks. They told me it wasn’t their mess, so I said: “If you help me clear up, I’ll be out your hair quicker than if I stay and do it on my own!”
‘Most of them helped, which was lovely, whether or not they made the mess to start with.’
Ms Brockie added: ‘It’s coming up to nesting time. It’s an important little pocket of nature for birds and small mammals and that litter can cause untold issues for them.’
However, she said that she understood the difficulties for young people having a lack of activities and places to meet up in the Island.
‘It’s a shame because the space is obviously filling a need for the kids,’ she said. ‘I just don’t know how to help them engage with nature; to still hang out there as they do, but take their rubbish home.’
Ms Brockie wants to put a bird box, hedgehog box, and possibly a bug hotel in the area.
‘I’ll try and engage them that way,’ she said.
She added: ‘Most people would just take away the seating, but I’m hoping to find a way of turning it around.
‘I’m trying to lead by example, by picking up the litter and using it as an opportunity for creating an understanding of their actions, without demands or lectures.’
The Parish of St Saviour said that they would be happy to support Ms Brockie’s initiative to encourage young people to connect with nature through the use of bug hotels, bird boxes, and hedgehog boxes.
A parish representative added: ‘Such initiatives are in line with the parish’s commitment to promote healthy ecosystems and a deeper appreciation for the natural world. The parish may also be able provide resources or assistance to help Sheena with the initiative and aid in promotion to encourage more people to get involved.’
