The Wildlife Trust
For Lancashire, Manchester
and North Merseyside

Public Treated To Lightshaw Meadows Nature Walk

Members of the public were treated to an evening of stunning natural beauty last week as they took part in a guided walk around new Wigan nature reserve Lightshaw Meadows.

The walk, organised by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Red Rose Forest, gave locals the opportunity to see the latest developments to the site and some amazing native wildlife.

The group were treated to a spectacular air show from a barn owl and other feathered highlights included redshank, oystercatchers, skylarks and lapwing. Banded demoiselle damselflies were also seen, whilst the newly added longhorn cows looked to be settling into their new home perfectly.

Shaped by Wigan’s long industrial landscape, Lightshaw Meadows is a fantastically unique area for nature. Over the next three years, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Red Rose Forest, will work to restore the area for the benefit of key habitats and species listed on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority List. The project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Environment Agency, Natural England and Wigan Greenheart.

Jessica Thompson, Community Liaison Manager was delighted by the public’s reaction to the new site.

“I want to thank everyone that attended the event and helped to make it a success. We all had a great evening and it was a delight to see such amazing nature on a lovely summer’s evening. Lightshaw Meadows is really special and there will be lots more opportunities for people to get involved and learn about the natural and industrial heritage of the area”

“We are working hard at improving the site and we are thrilled that people are showing such interest in the project.  The fact that this walk was fully booked within days is proof of what strong interest there is from people locally.”

If you want to find out more about Lightshaw Meadows go to www.lightshawmeadows.co.uk.

Photos by Galatas.