The Wildlife Trust
For Lancashire, Manchester
and North Merseyside

Lightshaw Meadows is an area of open countryside and a beautiful mosaic of wetlands located in the Abram Flashes in Wigan. For more information about the site itself, click here.

Visit the Lightshaw Meadows blog here

About Lightshaw Meadows

Lightshaw Meadows is a partnership between The Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Red Rose Forest. Combining the expertise of both organisations, the project aims to:
- Restore the site back to ‘favourable’ condition, improving habitats for key species
- Provide a living example of how our industrial heritage has shaped our landscape today
- Provide the local community and school groups with an opportunity to enjoy areas of the site and learn more about the wildlife, habitats and heritage there and how they will act as a vital defence against the threat of flooding posed by climate change.

Our work on Lightshaw Meadows

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. We will add new woodland and trees to The Copse Field. These will include native trees and shrubs as well as an orchard. Together they will help tell the story of how local materials played such an important role in our heritage.

Habitat restoration activity will involve survey and monitoring work, boundary work, the re-profiling of existing wet grassland areas and wetland habitat establishment. All this will be done with sensitivity to wildlife on the site. We plan to maintain the existing wildlife habitats, whilst others will be enhanced to benefit particular species and maintain the natural diversity of the area.

The aim of Lightshaw Meadows is to provide a quiet place for the community to enjoy nature, and learn about the significance of the site within the wider Wigan Flashes.

Although visitors will be encouraged to use The Copse Field, access to the wetland area will be restricted. Bird viewing screens will help visitors enjoy the wildlife.

Learning

The development of the site offers a great opportunity for the community to get involved and learn about the natural and industrial heritage of the area. The project will provide educational and learning opportunities.

We are working in local schools to teach new generations about how important our industrial heritage is to this area – how it shaped the landscape we see today and the huge impact it had on the people of the area.