Tag Archives: Lancashire

Woods on your doorstep

‘Woods on your Doorstep’ – the Woodland Trust’s millennium project – enabled 250 local communities across the UK to design and plant new, local and accessible woods that now provide much loved amenities for local people and are benefiting the landscape and wildlife.

Restore Our Planet stepped in to provide crucial funding to help three local communities in Devon, Greater Manchester and Sheffield, which were struggling to raise the funding they needed: Tramlines Wood, Okehampton, Devon – The small size of the planting at Tramlines Wood belies its importance. Just one acre of wet meadowland, an increasingly rare habitat, has been planted with scattered willows, leaving plenty of open space to encourage the widest possible range of wild flowers to colonise and thrive.

This new plantation lies between and now protects and links a range of distinctive habitats along the river valley, including ancient woodland. Local people are intrigued and pleased by the number of plant and animal species now colonising the site, including increasing numbers of bats which hunt along the river and meadow. A new footbridge has been erected to provide easy access to local playing fields and to the local college and youth hostel, which is encouraging young people to visit the site and explore along the river. Springfield Copse, Greater Manchester Local people have planted 700 native trees, including oak, ash, birch, hazel, rowan and crab apple, on just over half this site. They are thriving and a rich mosaic of habitats is developing around the trees and along the streams and wet flushes which are a feature of the site.

Springfield Copse is situated close to Stockport and its growing population. Local people describe the site as a wonderful tranquil oasis and particularly value the experience of being part of such an interesting restoration project. Wantley Dragon Wood was designed and planted as a 16 acre extension to Bitholmes Wood, an ancient woodland in Sheffield that was already owned by the Woodland Trust.

Adjoining Firth Wood has since been added to the landholding, making Wantley Dragon Wood a vital part of a site that now covers about 100 acres in total. Natural regeneration from Bitholmes Wood has been supplemented by local people planting oak, ash, birch, cherry, rowan and field maple. The new plantation has quickly become established and is now blending well with the pr-existing woodland.

The size of the entire site is a great incentive to people to visit it and local people are proud of the part they continue to play in the protection of the area.

Bryn Marsh and Ince Moss Restoration Project

Bryn Marsh and Ince Moss SSSI is a 20.5 hectare mosaic of reedbed, mossland, open water and associated wetlands. The site makes up a significant part of Wigan Flashes, a 240 hectare reserve formed by mining subsidence owned by Wigan Council.

The reserve has been managed by Lancashire W. T. since 1999 in partnership with the landowners, RSPB and Natural England. This area contained a number of reedbeds of reasonable quality however no management occurred. Whilst there were significant areas of wet reedbed, areas had dried out allowing willow scrub encroachment.

Lowering works carried out elsewhere on the reserve have successfully colonised with reed supporting Bitterns. Reedbed works proposed for Bryn Marsh and Ince Moss would also create pools and ditches enabling the movement of water and as a result, fish.

It is believed the proposed works will play a key role in creating habitat links which will enable the wetland to develop as a cohesive system significantly improving wildlife potential. A number of BAP species will benefit including Bittern, Reed Bunting, Grasshopper Warbler, Lapwing and Water Vole.

Holiday Moss-Purchase and Restoration Project

Funding from Restore Our Planet has been used to purchase Holiday Moss, Rainford near St Helens, a 3 hectare heavily degraded lowland raised bog ( mossland ) site. Mosslands are England`s most endangered habitat which have suffered a 99% decrease in Merseyside since the late 1800`s. Holiday Moss represents 15% of this precious remaining mossland habitat in Merseyside.

It supports a population of Brown Hare, a priority Biodiversity Action Plan species. It is also valuable as one of only two sites in Merseyside where Bog Myrtle thrives.
The site has suffered from considerable neglect due to drainage,scrub invasion, peat extraction and mining. Thankfully due to the purchase of the site, finalised in 2009, this trend of neglect has now been reversed by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust. The Trust`s current priority is to restore Holiday Moss to its former glory creating a haven for many unusual and rare plant and animal species and enhancing biodiversity in the North west.

The peat dominated soil, a key factor of mossland habitat, sequesters thousands of tonnes of carbon which was previously being released as the site dried out and was becoming degraded. Restoration will prevent any further loss and over time the site will sequester more carbon for the benefit of everyone.

Northwest Lowlands Water Vole Project

As Kenneth Grahame once wrote with respect to the river in The Wind in the Willows ` By it and with it and on it and in it…` which precisely sums up the lifestyle of our native Water Voles.
Sadly in decline, England`s most endangered mammal and a Biodiversity Action Plan priority species is at the centre of a good news story in the north west.
When the Wildlife Trust began management of the Wigan Flashes in 1999 there was no evidence of Water Voles, however, they began to colonise the site in 2002 and now there is a thriving population. To capitalise on this positive situation six ponds and 1km of ditches over an area of 5 hectares have been dug at Scotman`s and Ochre Flash, with further ponds and ditches over seven hectares at Hawkley Hall Flash.

Providing additional habitats will encourage movement along wildlife corridors and increase the chance of continuing to build up significant populations.

Linked to the Mossland Restoration Project in Lancashire already supported by Restore Our Planet this will extend across the north west into Cheshire and Cumbria.

Restore Our Planet has agreed to fund habitat restoration work with the aim of providing connectivity between rural and urban habitats allowing Water Voles to colonise larger areas thereby greatly increasing the chances of their long-term survival.

Mossland Restoration Project

Mosslands are one of Europe rarest and most threatened habitats. Since c.1850 the area of mossland in the UK has fallen 94% to only 6000 hectares. In England only 500 hectares now remain. Prior to this decline the Northwest of England supported a large proportion of the entire UK mossland though much of the resource has now been lost through conversion to high grade agricultural land or extraction for the horticultural industry.

The Mossland Rescue program aims to halt the massive loss within the region initially concentrating on 5 sites restoring and enhancing 98ha of mossland and associated habitat around Lancashire, Bolton and Greater Manchester. The water vole is one of many species for whom mosslands provide vital habitat.

Restore’s funding was directed at the creation and protection of these water vole habitats through installing dams to increase water levels. The donation also funded some species monitoring activity in the area.

Community Organic Gardens – Blackburn

The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has been involved in encouraging and supporting communities to grow their own food since 1997. Empowering communities to reclaim derelict land and unused allotments to grow their own organic food. Groups promote sustainable and healthy living amongst both young and old by eating organic fruit and veg, composting and getting fresh air and exercise.

The idea of community allotments took off following a successful pilot in Halliwell in 1997 and by 2004 the Lancashire Wildlife Trust was supporting 14 active projects involving at least 150 volunteers a week in Bolton, Wigan, Salford, Blackburn and Burnley. The long term viability of the projects depends on building capacity within the community groups and volunteer networks so that they can become fully constituted and organisationally self-standing.

Restore’s funding helped achieve this in the Blackburn area by purchasing crucial equipment including tools, access to information and allotment rental.

Community Organic Gardens – Bolton

The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has been involved in encouraging and supporting communities to grow their own food since 1997. Empowering communities to reclaim derelict land and unused allotments to grow their own organic food. Groups promote sustainable and healthy living amongst both young and old by eating organic fruit and veg, composting and getting fresh air and exercise.

The idea of community allotments took off following a successful pilot in Halliwell in 1997 and by 2004 the Lancashire Wildlife Trust was supporting 14 active projects involving at least 150 volunteers a week in Bolton, Wigan, Salford, Blackburn and Burnley. The long term viability of the projects depends on building capacity within the community groups and volunteer networks so that they can become fully constituted and organisationally self-standing.

Restore’s funding helped achieve this in the Bolton area by purchasing crucial equipment including tools, access to information and allotment rental.

Save our Squirrels

The Save our Squirrels project is the largest single species conservation initiative in the UK. The aim of the project is to deliver the North of England Red Alert Squirrel Strategy by protecting and conserving the red squirrel in the counties of Northumberland, Cumbria and Lancashire.

This strategy builds on comprehensive squirrel ecology and distribution research undertaken by Dr. Peter Lurz, at the University of Newcastle, and Professor John Gurnell, at the University of London. This research identified sixteen key reserve areas where the adoption of careful habitat management will ensure the continued presence of red squirrels over the medium to long-term.

Save our Squirrels has three main aims: To raise the profile and plight of the red squirrel. To undertake habitat management and squirrel conservation activities with landowners and managers in the sixteen reserves and surrounding areas. To secure the long-term sustainability of red squirrel conservation.

Restore Our Planet has provided funding to provide traps and equipment for local volunteer groups to help control the number of grey squirrels threatening the red squirrel through competition for food and habitat and probably through transmission of the squirrelpox virus. Since the original grant, several new voluntary groups have formed in Northumbria as well as the `umbrella organisation` Northern Red Squirrels ( NRS ).

Restore Our Planet has therefore agreed additional funding to not only provide traps and equipment but also training workshops to help the planning and coordination of grey squirrel control in these new areas which now includes Cumbria.

Morecambe Bay Limestone Hills Conservation

The Morecambe Bay Limestone Hills are the single most important area for butterflies in northern England. This area is the national stronghold for the High Brown Fritillary, a UK BAP Priority Species and one of our most threatened species.

The Morecambe Bay Limestone Hills also support important populations of six other rare and threatened butterflies, the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Northern Brown Angus, Duke of Burgundy, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Dingy Skipper and the Grayling.

The Cumbria branch of Butterfly Conservation organises 10 conservation work parties in this area every year but without the necessary equipment progress can be limited as they struggle to keep pace with scrub growth that is overwhelming the butterfly`s habitat, shading out the nectar sources and the caterpillar food plants.

Restore Our Planet has agreed to provide the funding for the purchase of all required equipment.