Chesterfield named as one of UK’s top three most wildlife-friendly places

A study by Flowercard of the UK’s most populated places ranked the town in third place for being welcoming for wildlife.

Experts compiled the list by assessing each regions wildlife areas, pollution indexes and air quality levels, to provide them with an overall wildlife-friendly score.

Chesterfield ranked third with a wildlife-friendly score of 5.95 out of 10, falling only behind Oxford and Dundee.

The town scored highly for the quality of its green spaces and parks, with visitors and residents rating them with an average score of 83.33 out of 100.

Derbyshire wildlife expert and Derbyshire Times columnist Stewart Abbott, said: “I spend many hours walking around this wonderful town and its surrounding areas, and I’m always amazed by its wildlife.

“One real positive that has come from the pandemic is that people have rediscovered a love for wildlife, whether it be in their gardens, in country parks, on canal walks or in other green spaces.

"It is well known within conservation that people fight for what they care about, and the more of us that fight the better it is for the biodiversity of Chesterfield. This is now starting to show dividends and it’s no surprise to me that Chesterfield has ranked so highly in this research.

“Chesterfield should be very proud, and I really hope this trend continues. Wildlife should be one of our first considerations when we make changes to our environment and not an afterthought. We forget sometimes that we are just one part of the ecosystem that we all enjoy.”

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