Search
03 Apr 2026
Search
03 Apr 2026
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Mayor Brian Tierney pictured at Drumahoe District Park at the launch of the Don't Mow, Let it Grow Campaign, with Cllr Hilary McClintock and Kitty Hepburn, Drumahoe Community Association.
Grass in many public areas of Derry will be cut less frequently this summer.
It's all part of a project being managed by Derry City and Strabane District Council to nurture and increase the local bee population.
The Don't Mow, Let it Grow initiative will see reduced grass cutting in some areas of local parks and cemeteries over the summer months while free wildflower seed packets will be distributed to the public to encourage them to do the same in their homes.
The aim of the campaign is to increase places for pollinators like bees and butterflies to live and feed off.
The Pollinator Plan forms part of Council's pioneering Green Infrastructure Plan and Biodiversity Officer, Christine Doherty, said it could play a key role in fighting the extinction of many species of bees on the island of Ireland.
"One third of the bee population on our island are at risk of extinction due to starvation and reduced habitat space," she explained.
"If we let the bee population continue to decline, it will have a major impact on our food supplies, choices and prices.
"Wildflowers provide a great source of food for bees enabling them to thrive.
"That is why we have taken action to change how we manage grass cutting across 30 hectares of our Council estate, 23 cemeteries and 11 of our large green spaces.
"The grass will be growing throughout the summer to allow the wildflowers to grow, flower and set their seeds for next year so we can have sustainable wildflower meadows and a source of food for these pollinators year on year.
"The grass will then be cut and lifted in August and again in April, enabling our wildflowers to flourish again next year.
"You can also play your part by creating a small patch of wildflowers at home (roughly 1metre sq) and leaving the grass to grow a bit longer.
"By encouraging your neighbours to do it too you could potentially create wildlife corridors to bring back the bees and butterflies."
Wildflower seeds are available from the council's reception areas at Strand Road, Derry and Derry Road, Strabane.
Storm Dave is expected to hit the North this weekend.
Group of speakers at the Western Trust relaunch of the ‘Best Start in Life’ Strategic Group.
Altnagelvin Theatre Teams, Consultant Surgeons and Trust Corporate Management gather to mark this milestone for the Trust with the delivery of the first ever state-of-the-art surgical robot
ERNACT’s newly appointed chairperson – Cllr Martin Reilly
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
