PRESS RELEASE
3 December 2013
FIVE STAR ‘BUG HOTEL’ CREATED AT POPULAR
RESERVOIR
Bugs, beasties and other critters are set to benefit from a posh new winter holiday home
after a project to build a ‘bug hotel’ started this week at Saddington Reservoir in
Leicestershire.
The bug hotel will be made from dead tree branches and scrub material by the Canal &
River Trust, with grant funding from Natural England, to create a shelter for insects living at
the reservoir.
Canal & River Trust ecologist, Penny Foster, explains: ‘Saddington Reservoir is a perfect
breeding ground for small insects, with the yearly cycle of emptying and re-filling the
reservoir with water creating ideal living and feeding conditions. In the winter, when the
water level is higher the insects need to find homes elsewhere and this new bug hotel will
provide brilliant shelter from the cold weather. A healthy insect population is essential for
the health of the wider wildlife population, playing a crucial role in everything from
pollination of wildflowers to food for birds and rodents. We hope these works will lead to a
bumper wildlife year for visitors to the reservoir to enjoy in 2014.”
Built in 1802 Saddington Reservoir was purpose built to supply water to the Grand Union
Canal. The reservoir is a designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is
home to a number of animal and insect species and is great place to enjoy a spot of
fishing, walking or bird watching. The habitat improvements are supported by a five-year,
£35,000 grant from Natural England to support biodiversity at the site.
Penny adds: “Anyone with a small patch of garden can build a bug hotel and help insects
thrive through the winter months, and it’s a great way to get young children excited about
nature. Just find a quiet spot, build up layers of dead wood, rocks and leaves, ensuring
you create lots of interesting spaces, nooks and crannies for mini beasts to hide in and,
hey presto!, you have created your very own bug apartment.”
ENDS
Canal & River Trust, Toll House, Delamere Terrace, London W2 6ND
T 0207 985 7263 E press.office@canalrivertrust.org.uk W www.canalrivertrust.org.uk Twitter @CanalRiverTrust
Patron: H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. Canal & River Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales
with company number 7807276 and registered charity number 1146792, registered office address: First Floor North, Station House, 500
Elder Gate, Milton Keynes MK9 1BB
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For media enquiries contact Sarah Rudy, National Press Officer, Canal & River Trust, on
01908 302 584 / 07788 691 219 or email sarah.rudy@canalrivertrust.org.uk
The Canal & River Trust is the guardian of 2,000 miles of historic waterways across
England and Wales. We are among the largest charities in the UK, maintaining the
nation’s third largest collection of Listed structures, as well as museums, archives,
navigations and hundreds of important wildlife sites.
We believe that our canals and rivers are a national treasure and a local haven for people
and wildlife. It is our job to care for this wonderful legacy – holding it in trust for the nation
in perpetuity and giving people a greater role in the running of their local waterways.