Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside

The Barn
Berkeley Drive
Preston
PR5 6BY

tel: 01772 324129
fax: 01772 628849

An Eco-Centre giving the green light to sustainability in Lancashire.

The Barn, headquarters of the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & N. Merseyside, was opened in October 2003 by Professor David Bellamy. The building, granted award-winning Eco-Centre status by ENCAMS in 2006, comprises of a visitor centre and conference facilities on the ground floor with offices upstairs.

The building was constructed in the style of an old Lancashire barn and adheres to the philosophy of sustainable development in its construction and maintenance, utilising reclaimed bricks and slates, recycled and re-used wood flooring, carpet tiles and office equipment.

Several innovations contribute to The Barn's highly efficient energy usage, low emissions and minimal running costs. These include a passive ventilation wind-catchment system and rainwater retention and re-distribution facilities that provide all of our washroom water. All washrooms are fitted with dual-flush controls and press taps to minimize water wastage.

Our heating system is partly comprised of solar panels that collect the sun's heat and transfer it to a water tank to provide hot water during the summer months. During periods of insufficient sunlight the system switches over to our biomass (woodchip) boiler, which heats the building in winter.

The Barn's wood fuel heating system provides a productive outlet for waste wood generated during ongoing woodland management in Cuerden Valley Park (CVP) and helps the park rangers combat storage problems because any trees lost during storm damage, clearance or other means can be converted to fuel. By obtaining our wood from CVP we're eliminating transportation costs and the increased fuel emissions that transportation entails. Even the wood itself is theoretically zero carbon rated - it's a sustainable source.

The Barn is a leading example of environmentally sensitive building design and is highly effective in helping the Trust to raise awareness of sustainability throughout the community and amongst other organisations in Lancashire.