AN EAST Lancashire nature reserve is being used as an example for organisations from every corner of the globe.

The marketing of Brockholes Nature Reserve in the Ribble Valley and the sustainable design of the floating ‘Visitor Village’ are being used as case studies in a new handbook aimed at showcasing the best way to develop a wetland education centre.

And representatives from 14 countries, including Australia, China, Canada and United Arab Emirates were told about the attraction as an example of best practice at a conference in South Korea.

The site, which is run by Lancashire Wildlife Trust, includes 250 acres of wetland and woodland habitats which was transformed from a former quarry site.

The newly released handbook presents a range of lessons on the design and operation of wetland education centres based on experiences of centre managers from around the world.

It is aimed at government agencies, architects, conservation organisations and consultants.

Brockholes general manager, Kath Knight was also invited to attend the ‘Workshop on Best Practices for the Design and Operation of Wetland Education Centres’, held in Seosan, to talk about the work of the trust.

She said: “We were honoured to be invited to contribute at the workshop.

“And hope that it will enable us to establish links with wetland centres around the world.

“The fact that Brockholes is being used in several areas as a case study for best practice is a testament to the work of the trust and its members who supported the initial purchase of the reserve in 2006.”

The workshop was a partnership event organised by the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, the Ministry of Environment Korea and the Environmental Ecosystem Research Foundation.

Marketing manager Lindsey Poole said: “To have the marketing recognised on a global scale is breathtaking.

“Our plans were always big when it came to Brockholes, we wanted to portray the unique features of the site and break down the barriers of nature reserve perceptions, and we wanted to let people know we were a new kind of nature reserve.

“We had to be creative, though, with small budgets, a small team and a launch campaign which began before the reserve and Visitor Village were completed.

“The multi-channel approach we used enabled us to build the excitement and anticipation around the launch, with a powerful PR campaign ensuring we made the most of opportunities to raise our profile to a national level.”