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The Pride in Your Parks campaign is now even
reaching out to our four-legged and feathered friends in the wild.
Due to conservation work led by Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, Wigan
Council and their partners the borough’s parks are now amongst the
finest spots in the region to witness some of the UK’s rarest animal
species in their natural habitat.
Graham Workman, Wildlife and Countryside Development Manager for the
Trust, said: “The ongoing conservation work in and around Wigan
Borough’s parks and countryside has resulted in many natural ‘rarities’
now returning as more ‘regular’ visitors. Wigan Borough’s biodiversity
strategy formally came into effect in 2006 and is starting to have a
real impact on the development and protection of some of our rarer
animals.”
Biological diversity, or, ‘biodiversity’ for short, is the name given to
the variety of living things, the places where they live and how they
work together.
Graham continued: “A good example is the roe deer. They have been
appearing in Wigan for about twenty years, but over the last five years
have become much more common and have been recorded in all of Wigan’s
country parks and most of our countryside sites. They have even been
seen crossing the busy road at Riverway!”
Other natural delights are being nurtured back to the borough’s green
spaces:
The Bittern:
The Flashes at Wigan and Pennington, have in the past, provided a
temporary home for one of the rarest member of the heron family – the
bittern. Now thanks to years of habitat creation hopes are high that
within the next few years bitterns will become breeding residents in the
borough.
Red Squirrels:
The only place within Greater Manchester that you can encounter the
elusive red squirrel is Wigan. Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust is
working with partners at Orrell Water Park to help the small local
population develop by planting tree species that will provide a food
source for them.
Grass Snakes:
A project that has been ongoing for the last couple of years will
eventually see grass snakes back in Wigan Borough. The reintroduction
area for the grass snake is well off the beaten track and has no public
access - so don’t panic! Grass snakes will remain one of Wigan’s rarest
species for many years to come.
To learn more about Wigan Borough’s biodiversity or to discover more
about the borough’s parks and countryside visit
www.wlct.org/parks
-ends-
NOTES TO EDITORS: For further information on this press release please
contact Chris Dunbar, Media and Public Relations Manager, on 01942
486937 or at
c.dunbar@wlct.org
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust: Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust is a
charitable trust working on behalf of Wigan Council to manage and
support leisure and cultural facilities, initiatives and events for over
300,000 residents in the Wigan Borough. See
www.wlct.org
Getting Wigan Active: Getting Wigan Active is Wigan Leisure and Culture
Trust’s vision to help people across the Wigan Borough to become more
physically, mentally and creatively active. It also aims to increase
community activity and to encourage good citizenship.
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