Last autumn the Triangle Garden asked for your views on how Ransom Rec could be improved.

They've taken the results and come up with a proposal and now they need your views again on what they've planned.

Proposals include:

-Create a long swathe of wildflower meadow along the cycleway with mown paths through it at intervals for access

-Keep a scoop of mown grass opposite the play area with new benches so people can sit and enjoy the meadows and watch their kids play

-Extend the meadow around the basketball court and along in front of our riverside forest garden, with more benches facing out into the park

-Install bug hotels made from sturdy gabions (metal cages) to encourage insects, and to show where the meadow ends and the grass begins (in case of over-zealous mowing).

-On the railway side of the park where the long grass is, creating a richer more diverse set of habitats by planting groups of wetland-loving trees, woodland edge shrubs with berries for birds (and people), and groves of willow (withies) that can be coppiced each year and used for basketry, etc. Bancroft Rec used to have a osier beds for basketry back in the 1800s so there is a precedent in Hitchin.

-Winding paths and glades will be cut through the long grass to encourage imaginative play and exploration.

-More bug hotels here will define the edge of the meadow and sandy bee/butterfly banks will be created within the mix (locations tbc)

-The benches being proposing will be supported by integral bug habitats in so encourage beneficial insects

-New signage will be installed at the park's main entrances creating an informative welcome.

The Garden are currently applying for a National Lottery Community Award to get this work started but they want your input before they submit the bid.

So please take the quick survey here