BROWNIES in Dartmouth have been busy creating a ‘hotel’ for the town’s bugs.

Under the supervision of volunteers from Dartmouth Green Partnerships they have built a habitat tower or ‘bug hotel’ in the Dartmouth Community Garden.

Kathy Stansfield, of Dartmouth Green Partnerships, explained: “The idea is that insects and other critters such as woodlice, slugs and snails will move in, enriching the natural environment and providing food for birds.

“Dartmouth Brownies built the ‘hotel’ out of old pallets and filled it with all sorts of materials such as straw, twigs, and cardboard. Then they planted flowers on the top.”

Meanwhile, despite the rainy spring weather, Dartmouth Green Partnerships volunteers have been hard at work digging out the groups’ homemade compost and using it on a new flowerbed near the greenhouse in the community garden. This year it will be used as a cutting bed - volunteers have already planted lots of poppies and nicotiana grown in the greenhouse.

Dartmouth Green Partnerships volunteers have also planted the neglected beds outside the toilet block next to the community garden with homegrown cerinthe, and some unusual shrubs such as melianthus.

The Dartmouth Community Garden is on the riverfront and home to the new Dartmouth Community Greenhouse, which officially opened in October 2022. Dartmouth Green Partnerships is a charity run by volunteers which creates and looks after many floral displays and green spaces in Dartmouth.