A project that has been two years in the making is now complete, resulting in a beautiful community space for residents of one East Lancashire town.
Primrose Nature Reserve officially opened on March 26, after the Ribble Rivers Trust spent the last two years developing and transforming Clitheroe's historic town centre mill lodge into a thriving nature reserve.
The work, which was started in 2019, has created a wide range of new spaces for wildlife, as well as offering a new recreation space for Clitheroe residents, improving water quality, and contributing to reducing downstream flood risk.
The transformation of Primrose Nature Reserve in Clitheroe by the Ribble Rivers Trust and community volunteers
Richard Stephenson, Chair of the Primrose Community Nature Trust, which was formed to manage the site, said: "Ribble Rivers Trust has done a magnificent job in difficult conditions to deliver this transformed site for the community and the wildlife.
"It will now be our job as the Primrose community to look after it.
"This is just the end of the beginning and there is much still to do both in enhancing and improving the reserve but also planning for the next phase.
The transformation of Primrose Nature Reserve in Clitheroe by the Ribble Rivers Trust and community volunteers
"A huge shout-out to the volunteers who have worked so hard to clear the site from the historical rubbish, helped with the tree planting, built nest boxes, and to Norman who has managed the Facebook site so well.
"I must also thank my fellow trustees who have worked so hard, with such passion and given up so much time to make this project a reality.
"This is a project for Primrose and we all should have a duty of care to preserve and develop this beautiful site."
The transformation of Primrose Nature Reserve in Clitheroe by the Ribble Rivers Trust and community volunteers
The restoration is perhaps the most exciting development of a community space in Clitheroe since the Castle Grounds were purchased by the council in 1920.
Despite being severely neglected, the site is already listed as a Biological Heritage Site, and the work carried out by the Ribble Rivers Trust has made it a beautiful natural sanctuary for wildlife, that will include a new walkway through the site and bridges that connect Whalley Road to Woone Lane, as well as the longest fish pass in England.
The transformation of Primrose Nature Reserve in Clitheroe by the Ribble Rivers Trust and community volunteers
The majority of the work was done by professional contractors but plenty of volunteers helped with the project.
A spokesperson for the Trust added: "A special mention goes to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and ERDF, who helped to fund the project."
The transformation of Primrose Nature Reserve in Clitheroe by the Ribble Rivers Trust and community volunteers
A formal handover of the site to Primrose Community Nature Trust happened last Friday at 4pm, when the reserve was officially opened to the public.
For more information, visit Primrose Nature Reserve on Facebook or primrosecommunitynaturetrust.org.
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