Wolves bring wildlife rushing back to their training ground in 'One Pack, One Planet' green drive
Wolves have been helping to re-introduce wildlife back to their grounds as part of a sustainability project.
The 'One Pack, One Planet' project, led by Wolverhampton Wanderers ground team head, Wayne Lumbard, has been working to bring several green initiatives to Compton Park.
As part of the sustainability project, Mr Lumbard's team have made several changes to the grass areas around the training pitches, including the inclusion of a one-metre strip around the inside edges for use as a wildlife corridor, the use of deadwood to make log stacks for wildlife and the raising of cutting heights on various grassy areas.
The campaign will also see Wolves work towards becoming a net zero football club by 2040, embracing a circular economy, minimising waste and maximising re-use.
Mr Lumbard said: "It all started last year. We looked at the department and what our role was within the One Pack, One Planet project which we are trying to achieve between all departments at the club.
"As ground staff, our job is not just about the pitches, it’s about the hedgerows and the trees, and it’s about bringing nature and bringing creatures back."
The group has also installed bird boxes around the training ground, which have already been used.
Mr Lumbard continued: "We decided to put in some wild flowerbeds, which you can see when you come down the drive, we’ve installed some bird boxes, we’ve made some log piles and we’ve stopped mowing certain areas to allow that to go back wild and return to nature.
"It’s surprising how much you can make a difference, relatively cheaply. It hasn’t always got to be expensive. With the wildflowers that we’ve planted and the bug hotel that we’ve put in one of the flowerbeds when you see the creatures using it, it’s really satisfying."
As part of the project, the grounds staff have also purchased electric strimmers for Compton Park, carried out more rotary mowing and left grass trimmings to naturally decompose.
Mr Lumbard added: "All these changes just make the environment better. With a focus on sustainability, biodiversity and our carbon footprint, we’ve all tried to look at what we can do to help the planet and what we can do to improve.
"It’s something that I’ve been involved in for years and there are bits and pieces in my own garden which I’ve replicated from what I’ve done here, and I encourage people to do it in their own garden, even if it’s just a square metre corner or at the bottom of the garden, then we can all do our bit."
