A NATURE reserve is celebrating after seeing a boost in the number of visitors it has attracted over the past year.

Brockholes Nature Reserve, which is run by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, has attracted almost 150,000 visitors in the past year compared to 135,000 in the previous year.

MORE TOP STORIES:

The success was revealed in the trust’s annual review which showed that the overall income was up to £4million.

Ed Livesey, head of finance and services, said that the appeal of Brockholes was what attracted him to the trust in the first place.

He said: “It’s an absolutely massive place and and it has continued to benefit the trust a lot.

“I remember when I used to work for Lancashire County Council and I was looking on with envious eyes at Brockholes and wanted to work for the trust, so that’s what brought me here.

“It acts a bit like a service station for wildlife. Animals come and stop for a while and then they go on, which means that we get a lot of variety of wildlife there.

“Around 20,000 children also use Brockholes and we want to keep it as a centre for wildlife education.

“It really is fantastic and not only is it about wildlife but there’s a lot of sustainable buildings and we do things like rather than having air conditioning we have open windows.

“The trust is in a very positive financial position but we are still always looking for new members to make sure that continues.”

Last year, more than 100 species of moth, record numbers of dragonflies and butterflies and regular monthly sightings of more than 100 species of bird were spotted at the reserve.

Cllr Stuart Hurst, leader of Ribble Valley Borough Council, said: “I have visited the reserve several times and I am overwhelmed by the success it has had.

“It has done a lot for wildlife protection and is a brilliant attraction.”

At the end of the year the trust had net assets of £12.4million with the majority of this being tied up in land and buildings which have been acquired for nature conservation.

The trust’s portfolio now contains 38 sites covering more than 1,300 hectares and has lobbied to bring forward the designation of the West Pennine Moors as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, creating a protected area of around 100 square miles.