Partners in Breathing Places

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside

HQ: The Barn
Berkeley Drive
Bamber Bridge
Preston
PR5 6BY

tel: 01772 324129
fax: 01772 628849
email: info@lancswt.org.uk

Registered Charity (No.229325) and a Registered Company (No.731548).


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Welcome to the website of the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside.

We are the only conservation charity working to protect wildlife in town, countryside and in the rivers and seas throughout our region.
Latest News

Trust Begins Charcoal-Burning

In an effort to improve the sustainability of habitat management work, the Lancashire Wildlife Trust has begun charcoal-burning on its Warton Crag Nature Reserve with the aid of a grant from Arnside & Silverdale AONB Sustainable Development Fund.

Warton Crag is a hugely important site, supporting populations of several butterfly species of national conservation concern, including High Brown Fritillary and Northern Brown Argus, Pearl-Bordered and Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries. Since early 2008, the Trust has been undertaking a project to benefit these butterfly species on the Crag.

Much of the management work focuses on managing the mix of bracken and limestone grassland, scrub and woodland to create conditions suitable for butterfly egg laying and caterpillars, as well as sheltered nectaring sources for adults on the wing.

As part of this work, this year sees the start of charcoal-burning as a new management activity on the Crag. Despite a recent renaissance this craft has disappeared from many of our wooded landscapes, but by introducing it to this reserve the Wildlife Trust aim to benefit butterflies while producing a sustainable and traditional woodland product.

In previous winters, wood generated through scrub management and coppicing on the Crag had simply to be burnt in situ, but the AONB grant has now allowed the Wildlife Trust to set up a small ring kiln and begin charcoal-burning, using a traditional craft to produce a sustainable product from wood generated during the winter work. Selling charcoal will also help to fund further work to benefit butterflies on the Crag.

Charcoal-burning was a part of life in our wooded landscapes for over 4000 years, helping to shape our woodland flora and fauna. In the past, charcoal was produced on Warton Crag in a number of pits to provide fuel for cooking.

Today, much of our demand for charcoal is met by imports from overseas. Recent increasing demand for charcoal as a barbeque fuel has rekindled interest in sustainable production in Britain. Charcoal produced from native hardwood species has the added benefit of burning hotter than imported tropical hardwood charcoal, and taking less time to reach required temperature.

Charcoal-burning on Warton Crag begins with the splitting and stacking of wood inside the kiln. Kindling is lit inside the base and a controlled burn starts to drive off the moisture from the wood. As the kiln gradually reaches temperature over the coming hours the smoke clears and the vents and chimneys are sealed up using earth and wet socks! This shuts off the free supply of oxygen inside the kiln, so the wood is charred and not burnt to ash. After cooling for a day or so, the lid is lifted and the charcoal sorted and bagged ready, hopefully, to be put to good use on a warm summer’s evening!

This work fits neatly in to the programme of current habitat management on Warton Crag, work undertaken by Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers from local communities, Lancaster University students and small herd of contented cattle!

Maintaining the existing areas of habitat on the Crag in favourable condition and creating additional suitable habitats close by helps support more viable populations of the rare butterfly species found there, while also benefiting plant communities and other invertebrates. The charcoal produced and sold as part of the Trust’s work on Warton Crag therefore helps conservation of a range of species in North Lancashire.

Visit our news page for further stories.


events & activities
All our events are designed to involve ordinary people in the process of protecting our wildlife and wild places, wherever they may be in our region. Practical improvement events fall within the Breathing Places partnership. Click here for full listings.

places to visit

Why not visit one of the Trust's reserves?

The Trust manages 34 Nature Reserves covering over 2000 acres of woodland, wetland, upland and meadow.

For further details click here


volunteering campaigns

People volunteer for many different reasons. Whatever yours is, be sure that we will give you a warm welcome and a fulfilling role within the Trust

For further details click here

We are currently engaged with Central, Regional and Local Government in a huge number of campaigns. You can see a few of them on our Campaigns pages.

For further details click here

education community projects

We deliver a variety of exciting and interactive environmental programmes to schools and communities throughout the year. Our Environment Education Centre has ponds, a wildlife garden, a boardwalk and bird hides. The education we provide enhances classroom learning as we use very visual and interactive ways of getting our message across. We use period costumes, props and activities to stimulate children's and adults' imaginations, often with a few surprises along the way!

For further details click here

We are engaged with local people in many projects designed to improve Local Nature Reserves or turn derelict land into productive landscapes for the benefit of local people and wildlife. Sometimes we assist in the construction and running of organic allotments, which involves reuse and recycling of materials which have reached the end of their present life

For further details click here


Reserves Guide win for wildlife

Visit some of the best places to see wildlife in the North West of England

A guide to the nature reserves in the care of the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside.

For further details click here

Play the North West Wildlife Trusts Lottery & Win For Wildlife. £500 JACKPOT EVERY MONTH plus many other great cash prizes.

For further details click here

Wildlife of Lancashire buy at!

A natural history reference book dedicated to the flora and fauna of our region.

For further details click here

Help the Trust when you shop!

We'll get commission on every purchase made through our webshop.
Due to popular demand - Tesco is now supporting The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside. This is a great opportunity for The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside to raise much needed funds through an outlet which offers everything you need through one website. Find great offers now at www.tesco.com. The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside will receive £5 for every new customer who makes a grocery transaction. There's also a minimum of 2% commission on all other non-grocery products purchased. Tesco.com includes: Groceries Books Wines Flowers Tesco Direct Entertainment Forwarding this email on to all of your friends and family will ensure that we can really take advantage of Tesco's lucrative offer. Visit www.buy.at/Lancswildlifetrust for more great offers from over 100 top retailers.

New this month:
WaterAid is an international charity dedicated to helping people escape the stranglehold of poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation.

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside will receive £18 for every Direct Debit donor signed up.

Play the Greenspace Race game!  

Your challenge: reclaim your neighbourhood and create a beautiful rooftop garden.

Click here to play the game (opens in a new window, flash player required)

 

Because we receive no direct financial support from Government, all our work is funded by our Members and Supporters. We take this opportunity to thank them and to encourage you to join with them.

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The Lancashire Wildlife Trust is a Registered Charity (No. 229325) and a Registered Company (No.731548)
dedicated to the protection and promotion of the wildlife in Lancashire, seven boroughs of
Greater Manchester and four of Merseyside, all lying North of the River Mersey.
Copyright Lancashire Wildlife Trust 2006

Website designed and created by Craig Smith