OurCoop Rain Gardens & Other Community based Nature Initiatives

A recent example is the completion of a rain garden initiative at our King’s Stanley Food store.

Working with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust as part of their Waterscapes project - a partnership with founding partners Intact Insurance, the Environment Agency and Gloucestershire County Council - we de-paved 6.25 m² of urban space outside the store and transformed it into a thriving rain garden.

It’s projects like this that go a long way to improve biodiversity and natural wildlife habitats. Complete with 105 plants from 13 different species that support pollinators such as bumblebees, the new greenery does two crucial jobs at once. It absorbs rainwater to reduce the chances of flash flooding, while also creating a calm refuge for wildlife and locals alike. 

Research also shows that greenery in urban areas can reduce temperatures by up to 5°C, which matters more than ever as our climate changes.

The King’s Stanley rain garden builds on the success of a similar green space installed at our Salisbury Avenue store, in partnership with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. 

That garden holds 5,260 litres of water and supports 43 plants which strengthen biodiversity year-round. Residents have already reported a noticeable reduction in surface water flooding the street and also describe the space as a lovely place to take a moment and relax.

This work complements other projects across our family of businesses, including:

• Partnering with Groundwork to create Sustainable Spaces at five of our Food stores, giving communities access to green spaces and enabling outdoor lessons for schools
• Installing bird and bat boxes on our Food stores, as well as beehives at our Warwick office to help tackle habitat loss, with plans to expand this further 
• Educating the next generation on nature stewardship at our Little Pioneers Early Years nurseries - with sustainability forming a core element of the curriculum  
• Developing a natural woodland and Rainbow Garden at our Bretby Crematorium, providing families with peaceful spaces to reflect
• Installing outdoor seating at our Food stores for our communities to enjoy

Together, these initiatives demonstrate our commitment to supporting nature within our communities. They aren’t just nice-to-haves, they're part of who we are as a co-operative, bringing our communities together and caring for our planet to make a measurable difference to the place where our colleagues work and our members live.