Walton Lea Partnership have officially unveiled a handmade bug hotel at the Children’s Zoo at Walton Hall and Gardens.



A bug hotel is a structure that’s made of natural materials, placed in an outdoor space to attract insects to shelter in, and the learners of Walton Lea Partnership have spent the last eight weeks carefully constructing their and was today donated to the zoo, as part of Walton Lea’s 25-year celebrations.




It was decided to donate the hotel to the zoo in recognition of the special relationship the partnership has with Peter Cookson-Dean and his Zoo Ranger team.




This is only the second hotel of its type that has been built by Walton Lea’s woodwork team and is filled with natural materials collected by their media team including wood, bark and pinecones and to attract as many species as possible, with the hotel sign hand painted by learner Eddie, a talented artist.




The hotel will eventually become a home for butterflies, bees, spiders, ladybirds and many more species, which visitors to the zoo will be able to watch and see the occupancy of the hotel develop over the coming weeks and months.






Jo McClure, Learning & Safeguarding Coordinator for the Walton Lea Partnership said “As the weather gets colder a bug B&B is a great hibernating place.


Like Walton Hall and Gardens, we are keen to help nature, so it’s been a pleasure for our learners to build this for the Children’s Zoo. We enjoy a close working relationship with the estate, so this seemed a perfect way to celebrate our 25th Anniversary and to say thank you for all their support.”






Council leader, Cllr Russ Bowden, said: said, “We’re so pleased to welcome Walton Lea’s Bug Hotel to the Children’s Zoo here at Walton Hall and Gardens.


The entire team at Walton are so grateful to all the learners who worked so hard to create this incredible structure and for generously donating it to the zoo, enabling our visitors to enjoy their creation for many years to come.”






The Children’s Zoo at Walton Hall and Gardens is open daily from 10.30am to 4.15pm. For more information, visit our Children’s Zoo pages.