New retreat for bugs and bees opens at Houghton Hall Park thanks to builder donation

Bugs and bees in Houghton Regis are buzzing after a new home for insects was gifted to one of the town’s parks.

Taylor Wimpey South Midlands is currently building new homes near Houghton Hall Park and has donated £500 in support of the Friends of Houghton Hall Park Group. As well as the donation, the firm gave a new insect abode to the park, which is to be installed in the kitchen gardens.

Houghton Hall Park is owned and jointly managed by Central Bedfordshire Council and Houghton Regis Town Council and gets support from the Friends of Houghton Hall Park Group – a team set up in 2021 to assist with the park. Taylor Wimpey South Midlands donated the funds to help fix rotten raised beds and the new bug house for wildlife to thrive.

Councillor Rebecca Hares, executive member for health and community liaison at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: "This is the first bug house in the Kitchen Garden at Houghton Hall Park, and it will be great to see it in the children’s area. This bug house will help educate children about animal habitats and encourage wildlife species conservation.”

Fiona Lloyd, sales and marketing director at Taylor Wimpey South Midlands, said: “It means a great deal to us to be able to support local community groups, like the Friends of Houghton Hall Park, who do a fantastic job of looking after a much-valued place of interest for local people and visitors alike.”