SOME of the creatures, great and small, which make people ‘go wild’ over the River Calder, have been immortalised in a new artwork for Towneley Hall.

Mayor of Burnley Coun Andy Tatchell will officially unveil ‘Calder Life’, by local artist Jon Turner, at the venue on Monday, in the new ‘Wild About Burnley’ gallery.

Not only is the threatened Pennine finch, Burnley’s songbird, detailed in the piece but traditional visitors like water voles, moles, owls and kestrels.

Jon, of No.6 Creative, was commissioned to carry out the project as part of the Urban River Enhancement Scheme, backed by the Ribble Rivers Trust and Heritage Lottery Fund.

Graham Gavaghan, ecologist at Towneley Hall said: “The 'Calder Life' painting brings to life the underlying story of our River Calder from its source all the way to Towneley Hall, showing beautiful examples of all the wildlife species found here.

“Whether young or old it's the kind of artwork we can use to describe and explain to people more about the environment we all share.”

The artwork is six foot tall and three foot wide, painted in acrylics and is the centrepiece of the interactive gallery, which has been brought together by Graham, with assistance from rangers and the trust.

Victoria Woods, from the rivers trust, added: “It beautifully sums up the theme of the exhibition. It is marvellous to see full-sized examples of wildlife close up and displayed in their natural settings including the elusive water vole, now a protected species and the moles in their holes.”