A ‘BLOSSOMING’ nature reserve has proved its popularity after a national tourism survey revealed it had 130,000 tourists in one year.

Brockholes Nature Reserve at Samlesbury, near Preston, had 135,780 visitors according to the latest Visit England statistics, up more than 20 per cent since opening in 2011.

The £8.6 million reserve and visitor centre had been a long-standing project of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust (LWT) who bought the site in 2006 to preserve it from being quarried and developed.

Transformed over the years to include a lake, woodland and marsh that house dozens of endangered species of birds, insects and small mammals, the Trust now plans to build a two-room glass-fronted educational centre for families. Called the Lookout, it is set to open in November.

Alan Wright, spokesman for the LWT, said that continuous work to improve trails, habitats and other facilities such as the large adventure play area had led to its increased popularity.

He said: “The last three bank holidays have seen record visitor figures, helped by having lots of butterflies, dragonflies and other amazing wildlife for visitors to enjoy.

“We strive to provide habitats for a number of endangered species, such as lapwings, black swans and roe deer.

“Our aim is to get Brockholes self-financing for the benefit of people and wildlife.”

The centre will hold a volunteer recruitment day on September 7 from 10am to noon, meeting at the visitor village.