A COMMUNITY group from the Valley has been recognised with a countywide award for their work in turning an ‘overgrown mess’ into a natural haven for wildlife and residents.

Stacksteads Countryside Group has been awarded a Best Practice nod from the Lancashire Environmental Fund for 18 months of work on Riverside Park.

After raising £90,000 from the fund and the Big Lottery, volunteers from the group got to work alongside Proffitts community project support organisation.

People in the partnership overhauled the area, creating footpaths, erecting fences, digging ponds, building a bridge and planting wild flowers.

Coun Jackie Oakes, a trustee of the Stacksteads Countryside Group, said: “We’re thrilled. It was always our intention to make the park a natural area, not a manicured one.

“We wanted to keep it as natural as possible, using local stones for seating and keeping the wetlands.

“It’s all been down to the hard work of the volunteers.”

To maximise the potential for wildlife to flourish in the park, the partnership adapted the surroundings to best suit the flora and fauna.

Ponds were dug with varying depths to allow for different types and species of amphibians, moths and butterflies and insects to survive in them. And around 200 bulbs of seven different species of wild flowers were planted.

Rachael Gildert, a landscape architect from Proffitts who worked on the project, said: “The group are amazing. Nothing would have happened without them. They’ve worked tirelessly on the park for more than a decade. The idea was all from them. They were on sight for all of the big decisions and oversaw everything. It’s absolutely fantastic. I’m so happy they got the award.”