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Hyndburn's Community-Owned Environmental Charity

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Happy Holidays 2025 from PROSPECTS & Annual Volunteer Celebration

Posted on Posted in Brookside, Community TreeACTION, Hyndburn's Nature Reserves, Hyndburn's Woodlands - Phase 2, News, Our Trustees

Happy Holidays from PROSPECTS!

Thank you to all our trustees, volunteers and participants for your support over the past year.

On Wednesday 17th December we celebrated an amazing year of environmental action with our annual Volunteer Celebration. Filled with food, drinks, music, and a brain-scratching, PROSPECTS-themed quiz!

A huge thank you again to all our volunteers who help make our work possible! We can't wait for what's in store in 2026.

PROSPECTS will now be closed until 5th January 2026.

We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

With best wishes from the PROSPECTS team - 
Alison, Alice, Brandon, Gemma, Helen, and Robert.

PROSPECTS-themed Quiz!
Buffet for Volunteers
PROSPECTS team!
Brookside Project Volunteers
Filling out the quiz!

Wrapping Up Christmas Crafts at the Prospects Foundation

Posted on Posted in Brookside, News

The final Prospects Christmas Craft session was a great success

Last night, 14 people joined us for our final Christmas craft session of 2025 and enjoyed creating a range of tree decorations from sustainable natural materials. Hazel disks, a byproduct of coppicing work across our sites, became beautiful hanging ornaments, whilst willow and dogwood stems became three-dimensional stars.

Thank you to everyone who attended this year's craft sessions and to those who kindly donated to the Foundation. Every pound will help fund our work across Hyndburn.

This project would not have been possible without our funders:

Prospects Community Tree Nursery 2025 Roundup

Posted on Posted in Community TreeACTION, News

Prospects Community Tree Nursery 2025 Roundup

Here's a roundup of 2025 at the Prospects Community Tree Nursery, shown in photographs! 🌱

This year we built three new tree-growing boxes, cleared loads of balsam, planted over 550 acorns, and stratified thousands of tree seeds. We also said goodbye to a rickety greenhouse and shed, welcomed a brilliant group of corporate volunteers, and raised an incredible £6,712 through our Crowdfunder campaign!
We’re hoping 2026 will bring major site access improvements and create even more opportunities for people to learn about growing trees. Watch this space…
Jan 2025 - Transplanting Oaks from the Coppice
March 2025 - making room for tree growing boxes
April 2025 - planting spare trees to grow on over summer
May 2025 - planting tree seeds that started to sprout
July 2025 - Our Crowdfunder celebration day with wood-fired sourdough pizza
Aug 2025 - greenhouse demolition
Sep 2025 - Fedcap Community Day clearing beds and making paths safer
Oct 2025 - Acorn planting in new rodent-proof boxes
Nov 2025 - Acorn planting in root trainer trays
Dec 2025 - weeding tree beds ready for mulching

Bullough Community Woodland planted in one week

Posted on Posted in Community TreeACTION, News

🌳 Community Comes Together to Plant Bullough Park’s New Woodland 🌳

More than 50 local residents rolled up their sleeves on Sunday, December 7, as the Prospects Foundation hosted a large-scale community tree planting event at Bullough Park in Accrington, marking a major milestone in the park’s ongoing transformation.

The Forest Fun Day, organised by the Prospects Foundation and supported by Hyndburn Borough Council, invited volunteers of all ages to help plant the final trees of a 3,600-strong woodland creation scheme funded by the Forestry Commission.

Thanks to the enthusiastic turnout, all 600 trees allocated on the day were successfully planted, meaning the full woodland, over 3,600 trees in total, has now been completed within just one week.

Alongside tree planting, families enjoyed a programme of woodland crafts, finger painting, and the burial of a ‘Future Forest’ Time Capsule. The capsule, filled with wishes and predictions for the next 25 years, was lowered into the ground by the Mayor of Hyndburn, Cllr Josh Allen, who also read a poem written by students from Mount Carmel High School’s Eco Club titled “A Walk in Bullough Woodland in 2050.”

Acorn planting and tabletop crafts were available for those with limited mobility. Volunteers were kept warm with free hot chocolate, while festive tunes added to the cheerful atmosphere throughout the day.

The Mayor of Hyndburn, Cllr Josh Allen, said: “What the Prospects team are doing is truly inspiring and their dedication and work is not only helping our borough right now but is helping to protect and preserve the borough’s wildlife and environment for future generations. As a borough, we owe a lot to the Prospects Foundation.”

The woodland creation is one of many improvements within the Bullough Park project’s second phase. New paths and steps have already been constructed to improve site access. A large wildlife pond has also been created to increase wildlife success.

In 2026, a wildflower mini-meadow will be created, and new benches and interpretation panels will be installed, establishing a more accessible and vibrant green space for the community.

Helen Earnshaw, TreeACTION Project Officer at the Prospects Foundation, added:

“We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who turned out to help plant the final trees. The community spirit has been fantastic, and Bullough Community Woodland will be something local people can be proud of for decades to come.”

The organisers thank all volunteers, project partners and local businesses who contributed to the day’s success.

Read the Lancashire Telegraph article HERE

For further information about the project or upcoming events, please contact: helen.earnshaw@prospectsfoundation.org.uk

Project Partners: Prospects Foundation, Hyndburn Borough Council, and Proffitts CIC - Investing in Communities

 

 

Helen teaching volunteers how to plant trees
'Future Forest Time Capsule' with Mount Carmel Eco Club members with Mayor and Mayoress of Hyndburn
Young volunteer plants first tree
Bullough Community Woodland 'Forest Fun Day' Tree Planting 600 trees with Prospects Foundation
Free Hot Chocolates were served to volunteers all day
Green Spaces Team reunion!
Volunteers make Christmas star decorations
Fingerprinting crafts such as Christmas tree cards to take home
Locally coppiced hazel Reindeer workshops
Site improvements (March > December 2025)

Annual Overview of the Northern Gateway @Peel Park & the Coppice LNR

Posted on Posted in Hyndburn's Nature Reserves, News, Peel Park Pollinators at Peel Park and the Coppice LNR

A busy year for this entrance.

An aerial view of the Northern Gateway, showcasing the track, diagonal accessibility ramp, and steps. Lush vegetation is allowed to grow on the banks during spring/summer.

The Northern Gateway is the main entrance to the Coppice which leads up to the site’s only car park.

PROSPECTS has been managing this small triangle of land to ensure the entrance is welcoming to visitors and wildlife.

You can learn more about the entrance HERE.

Abundant Ox-eye Daisy Blooms
Flowering Hedgerow
Huge Swathe of Yellow Rattle

Winter 2024/25

The entrance started off the year with a total revamp to the steps! The previous wooden steps had begun to warp and were very slippy, so the upgrade was greatly appreciated. Funds were acquired by the Friends of Arden Hall & the Coppice, and the work was carried out by Hyndburn Borough Council.

Northern Gateway after cut
January 2025 Steps Renovation
January 2025 Steps Renovation
January 2025 Steps Renovation
Steps Before and After

Spring 2025

In spring 2025, both PROSPECTS volunteers and students from Peel Park Primary School worked to remove injurious weeds and sow wildflower seeds. Spring is an important time for wildlife and abundant early-flowering plants are vital for many insects. Currently the gateway does not have many, but we spotted its first Cowslip this year! We hope this means many more to come.

Peel Park Primary Sowing Wildflower Seeds
April 2025 - Removing Dock
Showcasing Volunteer Efforts
April 2025 - Removing Weeds & Seed Sowing
First Cowslip at the NG!

Summer 2025

In the summer we watched as the entrance burst into life, with nearly 30 species of wildflowers growing on the banks, attracting large numbers of Red-tailed Bumblebee, Patchwork Leafcutter Bee, white butterflies, day-flying moths, and numerous hoverfly species. Volunteers and the parks department worked to keep the accessibility path clear of vegetation.

Ox-eye Daisy
Common Bird's-foot-trefoil
Yellow Rattle (w/ Common Carder Bumblebee)
Black Knapweed (w/ Small White Butterfly)
Meadow Crane's-bill
Garlic Mustard
Common Vetch
Sneezewort
Wild Marjoram
Tufted Vetch (w/ Six-spot Burnet Moth)
Wild Turnip
Red Campion
Self-heal
Corn Marigold
Wild Chamomile
Wild Radish
Meadow Buttercup (w/ Tree Bumblebee)
Creeping Thistle (w/ Nettle Tap Moth)
Clearing Vegetation
Monitoring Disturbed Ground Next to Steps

Autumn/Winter 2025

In the autumn we carried out our annual cut & collect. With help from volunteers, the banks were strimmed and the parks team took all the cuttings away to prevent nutrient build-up.

Volunteers once again helped in winter to remove moss from the paths and tidy up the edges, greatly anticipating the even bigger and better wildflower blooms next year! The Friends of Arden Hall & the Coppice helped clear 5 barrows full of bramble from the hedgerow to make more room for the growing trees and to open up some light for future wildflower seed sowing.

Scraping Paths
Northern Gateway Brushcut
Cutting Back Vegetation
Dec 2025 - Removing Bramble
Dec 2025 - Keeping Steps Clear

Goals for 2026

All management done this year will be continuing into 2026, meadow creation/restoration/management is a constant process, but the results have already been spectacular! We are looking forward to an even better wildflower patch next year.

Scraping the paths has revealed there is still an issue with water pooling on the lower path, we are looking into fixing this issue permanently but for the short term we have increased the size of the drainage ditch.

If you would like to get involved with meadow management at Peel Park & the Coppice then please get in touch: robert.gabryszak@prospectsfoundation.org.uk or 01254 230348.

This project would not have been possible without our funders:

Willow Coppicing & Festive Crafts @Hyndburn’s Nature Reserves

Posted on Posted in Hyndburn's Nature Reserves, News, Peel Park Pollinators at Peel Park and the Coppice LNR

Coppicing willow is good for people and wildlife!

The Hyndburn's Nature Reserves project has had a busy past few weeks! The HNR VOLS have been coppicing willow trees that are encroaching on to the path above Pleck Meadow. The trees were traditionally coppiced which will encourage new growth that is perfect for crafting.

These woodland edges are too densely overgrown with willow which is creating dark and damp conditions, making it unfavourable for woodland flora. They also have a habit of leaning and falling on to the path, so coppicing these willow is good for site users and for wildlife! Some willow was also collected from Jackhouse Nature Reserve, which was encroaching on the meadow bordering the lodge. Volunteers bundled up the willow stems to be used in festive crafts, primarily wreath making!

The project held 3 natural wreath-making workshops and engaged with over 50 people over the past couple weeks to make festive wreaths, including with the Cambridge St Ladies Group and St Christopher’s Eco Group. This produced some beautiful wreathes, perfect to celebrate the festive season! Participants were taught about the conservation ongoing at Hyndburn's Nature Reserves and how to make a completely natural wreath, free of plastic, that could be put directly into the compost bin after the season is done. The evergreen foliage was also harvested from local green spaces, in areas that were getting too dense with growth. Evergreen trees can block out too much light, starving low-growing woodland flora. So cutting them back will also encourage a more varied woodland floor!

Want to get involved with conservation or crafting activities? Robert hosts volunteer sessions every Monday & Wednesday, which sometimes produces materials for crafting workshops. Contact robert.gabryszak@prospectsfoundation.org.uk to find out how to get involved.

Annual Wreath-making Workshop @PROSPECTS Shop
Making Brash Piles with Unusable Willow Branches
Wreath Making w/ St Christopher's Eco Group
Abundant Evergreen Foliage to Choose From!
Wreath Making w/ Cambridge St Ladies Group
Natural Festive Wreathes!
Before and After Woodland Edge
Oak Moss Lichen
Before and After Willow Tree
Natural Festive Wreathes!
This project would not have been possible without our funders:

Brookside x Stanhill Club Wreath Making Fundraiser

Posted on Posted in Brookside, News, Oswaldtwistle Local Panel

Last week, Alice and the Brookside volunteers were delighted to host a natural wrath-making fundraiser in collaboration with the Stanhill Social Club.

Thank you to all who donated - we raised a whopping £140!

 

A big thank you to our funders for making this possible!

This work is possible due to funding from the Windfall Fund and Hyndburn Borough Council.

Tuesday 18th November 2025 – Tree Nursery

Posted on Posted in Hyndburn's Woodlands - Phase 2, News

On Tuesday 18th November the Hyndburn’s Woodlands Project assisted the TreeACTION project with the new tree nursery! Our volunteers braved a very wet and very muddy day to help get the site tidied up!

We started working on the beds, turning the soil and removing roots (mainly Geranium), to provide a clean substrate for our locally grown trees to be heeled into!

Then we did a little bit of work around the paths, clearing mosses and various plants which were encroaching, this will hopefully make access a little bit easier.

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who braved the day to help us with this important project, the future trees of Hyndburn will thank you!

As always, thank you to our funders at Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and the Windfall Fund for making it all possible

 

 

 

 

FOREST FUN DAY 7th December 2025

Posted on Posted in Community TreeACTION, News

🌳 FOREST FUN DAY: Bullough Park’s Woodland Creation Celebration! 🌳

Join us at Bullough Park on Sunday 7th December, 11am – 3pm and be part of a special day of tree planting and festivities!

Bullough Park is transforming thanks to a woodland creation scheme funded by the Forestry Commission, with new paths, steps, and a large pond already in place. In the new year, there will be a wildflower mini-meadow, benches, and new interpretation panels to make the park even more beautiful and accessible for everyone.

This December, we’ll be planting over 3,500 new trees, and we’d love for you to help us!

What’s happening at the FOREST FUN DAY:

🌱 Tree planting for all ages

🪵 A variety of woodland crafts, including making your own reindeer from locally coppiced hazel!

✨ Bury a ‘Future Forest’ Time Capsule with wishes, drawings, and predictions for the next 25 years

☕ FREE hot chocolate, coffee, tea & hot Vimto from the brilliant BACKUP Northwest van to keep everyone warm and happy

🚻 Our friends at The Globe Bowling Club are kindly opening their doors for volunteers to use their toilets

Get your wellies on, plant a tree, make memories, and help grow the future of Bullough Park! 🌳

📍Enter from Bullough Park Car Park, Willows Lane 'Top Shop' or Woodview Drive and follow direction signs to the event, look out for a big green gazebo with the Prospects Foundation logo!

If you have any questions about this event, please email helen.earnshaw@prospectsfoundation.org.uk

Project Partners: Prospects Foundation, Hyndburn Borough Council, and Proffitts CIC - Investing in Communities

 

Tuesday 11th November 2025 – Habitat Pile Making

Posted on Posted in Hyndburn's Woodlands - Phase 2, News, Whinney Hill

On Tuesday 11th November 2025 the Hyndburn’s Woodlands Project was back at Woodnook Vale LNR creating habitat piles for wildlife! Due to the recent felling works that have been carried out on the site (predominantly Ash suffering from Dieback) there is currently a large amount of brash present on the vale. We decided to put this to good use and create habitat for overwintering wildlife, this will provide shelter and foraging sites for a good range of animals and will help to keep the site looking tidy!

Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who braved a very cold and very wet day to help us improve biodiversity along the Vale!

As always, thank you to our funders at Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and the Windfall Fund for making it all possible

 

 

 

UKBMS Survey Results 2025 @Peel Park & the Coppice LNR

Posted on Posted in Hyndburn's Nature Reserves, News, Peel Park Pollinators at Peel Park and the Coppice LNR

The results are in!

Map showing the butterfly transect around Peel Park & the Coppice.

Throughout 2025, Project Officer, Robert Gabryszak, has continued with weekly UKBMS surveys at Peel Park & the Coppice LNR. The walk, or transect, starts at Pleck Meadow and continues through multiple habitats at the site, finishing on the heathland. 2024 was a devastating year for pollinator populations, sparking a Butterfly Emergency Declaration from Butterfly Conservation, with several other invertebrate charities supporting the urgency for immediate change to prevent further decline.

2025 has been offered a much more optimistic outlook, as sunnier weather has resulted in a significant uptick. However, the main threats to invertebrate populations are still at play; habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change are continuing to impact UK butterflies negatively. Additionally, the numbers are still lower than previous years, showing that some species have yet to recover.

Pleck Meadow (S1)
Woodland Edge (S4)
Heathland Habitat (S8)

Results Overview:

Breakdown by Species:

The good news:

 There were some great positives revealed from the transects:
  1. Green Hairstreak and Common Blue have been absent in previous years but have made their presence well known this year. The foodplant of Common Blue, Bird’s-foot-trefoil, has seen a massive increase in abundance at Pleck Meadow thanks to the management there, which may be the reason for the observation of male and female individuals.
  2. It has also been the best year for white butterflies (Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, and Orange-tip,) something which has been reflected in the Big Butterfly Count 2025’s data. All four of these species feed on plants in the Brassicaceae family which contains a variety of crop and wildflower species such as Cabbage, Broccoli, Radish, cresses, Garlic Mustard, Cuckoo Flower, and many more. Their success this year could be related to favourable conditions for their foodplants. This could be seen at the Coppice as there was an abundance of Cuckoo Flower and Wild Radish.
  3. Small Skipper, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, and Small Heath have all shown an increase after a 3-year decline.
  4. Lastly, Small Tortoiseshell have made a great recovery after a complete absence from the transects and having its worst Big Butterfly Count ever last year. Miraculously, they’ve had their best year on record at the Coppice. Decline in the species has been linked to a parasitic fly from mainland Europe arriving in the 90's.
The following invertebrate photos were all taken at Peel Park and the Coppice LNR in 2025, the majority during a butterfly transect. All credit to Robert W.S. Gabryszak. 

20 Butterfly Species

Here are the following butterfly species that were recorded in 2025.
Small Skipper - July
Large Skipper - June
Large White - August
Small White - August
Green-veined White - July
Orange-tip (male) - April
Green Hairstreak - April
Small Copper - July
Common Blue (male) - August
Common Blue (female) - August
Holly Blue - August
Red Admiral - September
Painted Lady - August
Small Tortoiseshell - June
Peacock - July
Comma - September
Speckled Wood - April
Gatekeeper - July
Meadow Brown - June
Ringlet - June
Small Heath - July

Additional species recorded during the transect:

The UKBMS transect also encourages surveyors to record day-flying moths and dragonflies. As part of the weekly transect at the Coppice, Robert also records bee and fly species, the results are still being processed for these and will be released later.
Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Moth - June
Antler Moth - August
Nettle Tap Moth - June

What are we doing to improve numbers?

We will continue to protect, create, and restore habitat for pollinators and all wildlife across Hyndburn's green spaces in our Hyndburn's Nature Reserves project. PROSPECTS has been carrying out conservation work at Peel Park & the Coppice LNR for past 3 years during the HEAL, Peel Park Pollinators, and Hyndburn's Nature Reserves projects. See below for some of the work we have been doing to benefit butterflies:

Want to help? Please contact robert.gabryszak@prospectsfoundation.org.uk if you would like to involved with habitat restoration or survey work. Alternatively, call 01254 230348 or pop into our shop at 54 Broadway, Accrington, BB5 1EW.

If you would like more information on the survey data then please contact Robert.

 

 

Pleck Meadow Cut and Collect
Butterfly Bank Creation
Tree Thinning to Improve Heathland
Wildflower Planting and Seed Sowing
Hedgerow Creation
INNS Removal
Meadow Creation
Injurious Weed Removal
Educational Events & Surveys
and lots more!
This project would not have been possible without our funders:

Friday 7th November 2025 – UV Fungi Walk

Posted on Posted in Hyndburn's Woodlands - Phase 2, News, Whinney Hill

On Friday 7th November 2025 the Hyndburn’s Woodlands Project hosted our first ever ‘UV Fungi Walk’ at Whinney Hill woodland. The session was a trial to see how well it would go. It did go quite well, with participants enjoying the autumnal afternoon walk. Unfortunately, we managed to find more litter than fungi during the walk, due to plastic fluorescing under UV light! We did manage to find one very fluorescent fungi (and a few that changed colour, but only slightly)

Overall, the session was a success and was received well (next year we will host the session a little earlier in the year when more fungi are around).

Thank you to everyone who came along to our prototype walk, your attendance was very much appreciated!

As always, thank you to our funders at Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and the Windfall Fund for making it all possible

 

 

 

 

Brookside Volunteers and the SVCA Team Up To Build Storage

Posted on Posted in Brookside, News, Oswaldtwistle Local Panel

This Wednesday, the Stanhill Village Community Association and the Brookside volunteers teamed up to install a secure bike container on site. This will support the work of the volunteers and provide a dry storage space for on-site events! Thank you to all who helped out.

A big thank you to our funders for making this possible!

This work is possible due to funding from the Windfall Fund, the National Lottery Climate Action Fund,  and Hyndburn Borough Council.

Tuesday 21st October 2025 – Abbott Clough woodland

Posted on Posted in Hyndburn's Woodlands - Phase 2, News

On Tuesday 21st October 2025 the Hyndburn’s Woodland’s Volunteers were at Abbott Clough woodland for a very wet session carrying out some maintenance work.

We started off steady by cutting back the hedgerow that borders the site, then we tidied up the entrance to make it more visible to passer-by’s, finally we carried out a litter pick around the hedgerow and inside the woodland.

We tallied off 10 bags of rubbish! We still have a bit more work to do here, which we will hopefully finish next session

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who braved the weather to help us keep Hyndburn’s Woodlands clean!

As always, thank you to our funders at Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and the Windfall Fund for making it all possible

 

 

 

Brookside Bat Walk Raises £73 for Restoration Project

Posted on Posted in Brookside, News, Oswaldtwistle Local Panel

Last Friday a fantastic 50 people came to our Bat Walk at Brookside, and we raised a whopping £73 for the project! Thank you all who attended, and to Roger 'Batman' Cunliffe for his expertise on the night.

A big thank you to our funders for making this possible!

This work is possible due to funding from the Windfall Fund, the National Lottery Climate Action Fund,  and Hyndburn Borough Council.

Saturday 18th October 2025 – Fungi Foray Walk

Posted on Posted in Hyndburn's Woodlands - Phase 2, News, Whinney Hill

On Saturday18th October 2025 the Hyndburn’s Woodlands project hosted a ‘Fungi Foray Walk’ at Whinney Hill woodland! It was a lovely autumnal morning, with clean (and dry) crisp air!

Attendees took a gentle walk through the woodland, keeping their eyes peeled for fungi hidden in the overgrowth. Overall, we managed to find and record 18 species of fungi. We did actually find quite a bit more but unfortunately could not identify the rest with any confidence

Everyone had a lovely morning and learnt loads of information, thank you to everyone who attended the walk!

As always, thank you to our funders at Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and the Windfall Fund for making it all possible!

 

Meadows across Hyndburn get important restorative cuts!

Posted on Posted in Hyndburn's Nature Reserves, News, Peel Park Pollinators at Peel Park and the Coppice LNR

Important Meadow Restoration across Hyndburn

Throughout Autumn 2025, meadows across Hyndburn have been receiving important restorative cut and collects. Over 1.5ha of meadow has been cut at Peel Park & the Coppice LNR, Woodnook Vale LNR, and Jackhouse nature reserve. All sites were visited by a compact tractor and Jackhouse had some robo-mowers to get to some hard to reach places!

This is in addition to other meadow restoration in the borough such as at Spouthouse and Cutwood Park!

Hyndburn is set to be buzzing with bees and blooming with wildflowers in 2026!

The cuts have been funded by the Windfall Fund, with help from the Friends of Jackhouse and Friends of Arden Hall & the Coppice.

Before and Afters

Pleck Meadow
King George's
Jackhouse

Photos from the Cut and Collects

Tractor at King George's
Tractor at South Entrance to Pleck Meadow
Tractor at Pleck Meadow
Volunteers working on managing meadows and glades
Robo-mower and raker at Jackhouse
Volunteers and tractor at Jackhouse
Saving amphibians!

Why are cut & collects so important?

Annual cut & collects are an important part of wildflower meadow management as it reduces nutrients in the soil which overtime will ensure that vigourous grasses and injurious weeds do not become dominant. A wider variety of smaller and slow-growing plants can thrive as a result, increasing biodiversity in the meadow as more kinds of plants means more insects which will feed small birds and mammals, which then support larger carnivores like birds of prey.

In a natural ecosystem, plants are removed by herbivores which can spread the nutrients across a landscape as they migrate, creating a range of different habitats including areas of nutrient poor soil that can support wildflowers. In the UK, a majority of our native large herbivores are gone and the ones remaining have fragmented habitats which disrupts their migration. This means that the natural spread of nutrients can not occur, resulting in an accumulation of plant growth in an area that builds up over time, creating an area of high nutrient soil which allows plants like Creeping Thistle, Creeping Buttercup, docks, and Stinging Nettle to dominate.

Habitats like this can still be important for wildlife (E.g., Stinging Nettles act as the food plant for Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies,)  but since 98% of wildflower meadows in the UK have disappeared in the last century, it's vital we transform areas of high nutrient density into spaces where a vast array of native wildflowers & pollinators can thrive.

So with a severe lack of grazing animals on hand, we settled with a tractor as the next best thing! The compact tractor we got was able to cut and remove a large area of the meadow over the course of two days. We have left areas of longer vegetation around the meadow to give small mammals and invertebrates areas to shelter over winter as well as provide cover for birds and deer.

For more information and to see what sort of species have been found in Pleck Meadow, check out our FAQ.

If you would like to get involved in meadow management on Peel Park & the Coppice LNR, then please email robert.gabryszak@prospectsfoundation.org.uk or call 01254 230348.

A huge thank you to Hyndburn Borough Council and Windfall Fund for making this project possible.

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