© Eoin Carey

The Pollinator Pals project aims to connect children aged 6-12 years with nature, belonging, and community in a socioeconomically deprived area of Glasgow. Based in the arts-led Rumpus Room community garden, the project will bring pollination ecologists, plant biologists, and arts workers together to deliver play-driven civic science and education.

Participants will design a summer-long experiment to identify optimal planting for Glasgow’s pollinators, learning about plants’ importance for people and the planet. Activities will include monitoring insects, testing soil health, and identifying plants and pollinators through participatory play led by experts.

The project hopes to explore community belonging, engaging all creatures in the Rumpus Room’s ecosystem. Pro-pollinator planting plans, saved seeds, and a guide to Glasgow’s pollinators will be shared with community gardens citywide, along with a zine of findings. Data outcomes will inform a framework of ‘belonging’ in urban greenspace, with additional sociological support.

The Rumpus Room team said, “We at Rumpus Room in Glasgow are excited by the spring sun to start our Pollinator Pals Project, a co-created civic arts-and-science project to improve nature connection and biodiversity in a Glaswegian urban garden.”