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| A weaver bird at Lancaster’s
Williamson Park. Image: Williamson Park |
The animals in Lancaster’s Williamson Park will be getting their weekly food shop from Sainsbury’s from now on thanks to a new partnership with Lancaster City Council.
A weekly supply of fruit, vegetables and bread that have reached their sell by date and would otherwise end up in landfill, will be feasted on by the parks butterflies and mini beasts. In particular, the butterflies love bananas and the rabbits and reptiles dine on lots of vegetables.
This is a new initiative for Lancaster City Council and is another step towards improving the sustainability of Williamson Park – and it’s a timely announcement following the BBC’s Great British Waste Menu programme highlighting the problem of food waste, which was watched by more than five million viewers on Wednesday night.
Lots of work has already been done to improve the Park’s costs in several areas, including sourcing locally produced products to reduce its carbon footprint; stocking Fair Trade products, improving recycling and creating a composting area for the parks green waste.
Deputy Manager of Sainsbury’s, Mike Coulson said: “Sainsbury’s support a number of community projects throughout the country and sustainability is one of our key aims. This new partnership with the park is one of many schemes Sainsbury’s stores operate in the north of England where fruit, vegetables and bread that have reached their sell by date are being put to good use by local projects.”
“Lancaster City Council and Sainsbury’s have struck up an excellent partnership that will reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfill,” added Coun June Ashworth, the council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for cultural services. “This is yet another way that we are working to create a more sustainable park for the community to enjoy for years to come.”
Williamson Park is working hard to improve the facilities for visitors and the local community. The butterfly house and café have recently undergone successful transformations and there are exciting new developments to the bird enclosure and mini beast areas to make them more family friendly.
• For further details on butterfly house tours, junior zoo keeper activities and jungle parties at Williamson Park please telephone 01524 33318 or visit www.lancaster.gov.uk/williamsonpark