Blackburn with Darwen Project

Greater Manchester Office
The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside
125 Blackburn Road
Bolton
Greater Manchester
BL1 8HF

tel: (01204) 361847
email: bolton@lancswt.org.uk
fax: (01204) 397800

There is a range of projects being undertaken in Blackburn, including the Blackburn Local Nature Reserve Project which is scheduled to run until the project completion date at the end of June 2006.

The Blackburn LNR Project has secured Local Nature Reserve designations for Sunnyhurst Woods and River Darwen Parkway. Both reserves are located in Darwen and owned by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. The Borough council also owns The Arran Trail and Pleasington Old Hall Woods, which are in the process of LNR declaration at the moment. A fifth prospective LNR at Highercroft Woods is due to be designated before the end of the Project. The Project has combined successful partnership working throughout the Borough area with the Local Council and other aspects of the Project carried out with the added support of Groundwork, The Mersey Basin Campaign and Lancashire County Council.

The Trust has carried out several large scale events in the area, working closely to link schools into nearby LNR sites when possible and providing a wide range of practical volunteering opportunities on the potential and declared sites. The Project has developed links with community sourced volunteers, special needs groups and students from Myerscough College. Much volunteer time has been dedicated towards habitat management of priority habitats in the area/country including acid grassland and lowland heath.

Management Agreements have been drawn up for the annual improvements and maintenance works carried out at River Darwen Parkway and Pleasington Old Hall Woods. Agreements are being revised for all the other sites at the moment.

Other areas of work currently being carried out in Blackburn include Productive Landscape type Projects and improvements to urban green space areas including Bethesda Close, Food Growing Projects and Wildflower creation schemes on derelict land.

For more information on the Blackburn LNR project please contact Ben Hargreaves or Simon McCloskey.

Ben Hargreaves
Local Nature Reserves Officer Bolton
The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside
Greater Manchester Office
125 Blackburn Road
Bolton
Greater Manchester
BL1 8HF

email: bhargreaves@lancswt.org
tel: 07771 686435