A living model for nature recovery, community wellbeing, and a climate resilient future.
Following the purchase of the 87-acre Brookside site in Stanhill Village, Hyndburn Borough Council have partnered with the PROSPECTS Foundation, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Stanhill Village Community Association, the Ribble Rivers Trust, and Proffitts CIC to transform the space. The development phase of this project has been generously funded by the National Lottery Climate Action Fund.
Brookside has always been at the heart of the Stanhill community: used for farming, mining, quarrying, and the textiles industry. Perhaps most famously, Stanhill is where James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny in the 1760s, which kickstarted the industrial revolution in Britain! All of these activities shaped the local landscape and brought prosperity to the region. However, they also came at a great cost to the environment, emitting tonnes of CO2, polluting the water, and degrading the landscape.
We now have the once-in-a-generation opportunity to return the space to nature, creating a place where local people can learn about the climate crisis and take action in their homes and neighbourhoods.
Making pledges at our Climate Action workshop
Volunteers buiding bat boxes for onsite
Citizen scientists collecting river data
Electrofishing workshop with the RRT
Alice at Accrington and Rossendale College
Balsam bashing in the summer sun
Getting to Brookside
We are working hard to make Brookside a space for everyone, and we ask that you travel to the site by foot, bike, or public transport wherever possible. There is no designated car parking on the site, although we will be installing a number of spaces for Blue Badge holders in future.
The main entrance to Brookside is on Stanhill Road, Oswaldtwistle. The 6A (from Hyndburn) and the 7a (from Blackburn) both stop right outside - look for a stop called Higher Stanhill Farm. The Thursday volunteer gang meet at this entrance at 10am.
By taking the bus instead of the car, you're helping to fight climate change, keep healthy, and make Stanhill a safer place to live!
The site can also be accessed on foot or bike via Nook Lane, Slough Lane, and Brookside Lane.
Green woodwork using Hazel from Brookside
Planting wildflowers to restore the haymeadow
Local children attend a river table session
