Primrose Community Nature Trust (PCNT) and Ribble Rivers Trust have announced a new partnership to conserve and steward Clitheroe’s much-loved Primrose Nature Reserve.
The 16-acre site, located just outside the town centre, will now benefit from additional support, with Ribble Rivers Trust assisting volunteers in essential tasks such as litter clearance, tree planting, fence maintenance, and Himalayan balsam removal.
The aim is to ensure the long-term protection and preservation of this important green space.
Between 2019 and 2022, Ribble Rivers Trust carried out extensive restoration through the Primrose Lodge Blue and Greenway Project.
More than 4,000 cubic metres of silt were removed after decades of neglect, reviving the waters for wildfowl, bats, and invertebrates.
Public access was also transformed, with new footpaths, boardwalks, bridges, and a viewing area installed.
Local school children can now use the reserve as a natural route to school, and residents can enjoy the woodland walk and views across the site.
Perhaps the most significant development was the installation of an Alaskan fish pass, briefly the largest in England.
This reconnected nine hectares of Mearley Brook, enabling the migration of species such as European eels, sea trout, brown trout, and Atlantic salmon.
The site itself dates back to 1787, when a seven-metre-high dam powered an industrial mill.
Since falling into disuse, the lodge became a haven for biodiversity, earning designation as a Biological Heritage Site.
The area now supports wetlands, ponds, woodland habitats, and vulnerable plant species. The fish pass has also boosted populations of fish, otters, and kingfishers, helping strengthen the wider ecosystem.
With ownership now passed to PCNT, the reserve is managed locally with support from Ribble Rivers Trust.
This partnership ensures that Primrose Nature Reserve continues to flourish as a haven for wildlife and a public space for the people of Clitheroe.
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