After a meeting at All Saints Church in Southend yesterday, we noticed this curiously beautiful structure on the edge of the garden. It looked so purposeful that I just had to ask about it. It’s a bug hotel, conceived and initiated by the church’s youth, and constructed by a church member. The All Saints Church itself dates back to the 1800’s and boasts some lovely architectural features, but yesterday it seemed to me that it’s loveliest features may have been the loving hearts of the congregation. Clearly the messages of community service and environmental concern are being lived out in the lives and actions of those who worship here.

This structure will attract a multitude of insect species and give them with a safe place to hide and hibernate, providing both the garden and the neighbourhood with a wide diversity of beneficial bugs which can ultimately help with pollination and address some aspects of pest control.