Green-fingered resident grows wildlife haven garden in bid to offset damage caused by millionaires in Sandbanks mansions

Published: 15:26, 16 June 2026 | Updated: 15:26, 16 June 2026 A green-fingered resident has grown a haven for wildlife in her back garden to offset the damage caused by her millionaire neighbours in affluent Sandbanks. Pam Woodall's award-winning garden - on the edge of Poole Harbour in Dorset - is a haven for local wildlife that attracts bees, badgers, deer, ducks, woodpeckers and rare stag beetles.    The plot is a third of an acre and is divided in two, with tropical plants surrounding an immaculate lawn at the top and a lush-green bramble-choked 'jungle' in a dell at the bottom. Mrs Woodall's stunning plot of land is in sharp contrast to nearby Sandbanks, which is one of the most valuable and expensive coastal locations in the world - where huge, new-build mansions occupy most of the plots.  The keen gardener hopes that her greenspace will help maintain wildlife that struggle to survive in the low-maintenance gardens, filled with artificial turf, gravel borders and few flowers, that dominate Sandbanks.     Mrs Woodall said: 'I hate what has happened to the gardens on Sandbanks. 'A lot of the older houses in this area had beautiful gardens but then the builders and developers came in and split the plots and ripped out things like trees and ponds and built over them with modern boxy mansions. 'Most people who live in the designer houses of Sandbanks aren't interested in the gardens and they just have artificial turf and gravel beds and it is all low maintenance.' Pam Woodall in her award-winning garden - on the edge of Poole Harbour in Dorset. The greenspace is a haven for local wildlife that attracts bees, badgers, deer, ducks, woodpeckers and rare stag beetles Mrs Woodall's stunning plot of land is in sharp contrast to nearby Sandbanks, which is one of the most valuable and expensive coastal locations in the world She added that visitors are 'really surprised' when they see her garden.  'It would not be exceptional in the countryside but it is exceptional for Sandbanks,' Mrs Woodall said. 'In contrast, I have created a haven for both wildlife and humans.' Mrs Woodall and her husband Dave moved into their home in 2013 and the garden became a retirement project for Mrs Woodall who has invested thousands of hours into transforming it. She said: 'The upper garden was quite boring. It had a bare fence on one side with no borders or planting. 'When we bought the house we weren't able to get down to the lower section because it was so overgrown. 'It took a few months for us to get down there and start transforming it. Mrs Woodall and her husband Dave moved into their home in 2013 and the garden became a retirement project for Mrs Woodall who has invested thousands of hours into transforming it Mrs Woodall won the BBC Gardeners' World magazine garden of the year in 2016 'I call it the jungle now and that is the bit I spend most time in and is the bit that attracts the wildlife.' Mrs Woodall won the BBC Gardeners' World magazine garden of the year in 2016. She has now made it into the top three of the publication's 'Best of the Best' gardens and the overall winner will be chosen by a panel of expert judges and revealed in October. Known as 'Britain's Palm Beach', where waterfront homes can sell for over £15million, Sandbanks has long been a luxury playground for the rich and famous. Celebrities who have or still own properties in the area include football pundit Graham Souness and Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.