Causeway Hospital has extensive gardens which are a mix of woodland, rivers and grassland. In 2013 Staff Nurse Donna Rainey discussed with Bamber McKay the Estates Manager, the potential benefit of leaving small areas of grassland uncut over the summer months to allow wildflowers and insects to thrive in these areas. This project has proved to be very successful with staff, patients and visitors and also with the discovery of a rare orchid, the Marsh Helleborine and several species of butterflies and moths which have been photographed and erected on signage to educate people on the benefits of creating wildflower areas of this type.
This small change in management has had a big impact, improving the biodiversity of the site and increasing the interest of the people who enjoy a stroll around the grounds. In 2015 it was the location of a very successful dusk chorus walk in partnership with the hospital and the local biodiversity officer Rachel Bain.
