‘From coal tips to willow tits’: Greater Manchester’s new post-industrial nature reserve

Ducks, geese and swans congregate at the edge of Pennington Flash Lake. They crowd around me, perhaps hoping for food, although I don't have any. Nearby is an ice cream van, with an early morning customer, but the birds don't get a cone from me. I wouldn't share it.

Soon, however, the refreshment options will improve - although I'd advise against offering wildlife a white dish and Danish pastry . Beyond the ice cream van, work continues on a £2.7m Wigan council project due to open in January, providing a new visitor center and outdoor terrace cafe where visitors will be able to sit and savor views of the lake, woods and wildlife.

Facilities will also include, after further public consultation, a children's playground nature-themed and wheelchair-accessible with a central toddler “lake” that will be an area of ​​swan- and boat-inspired play equipment.

This 'flash' in Pennington is one of several around Wigan and Leigh, West Greater Manchester, which have recently been designated by Natural England as part of a a new national nature reserve (NNR). Now called the Flashes of Wigan and Leigh, the eight sites cover over 800 hectares (1,976 acres) and also include Wigan Flashes, Lightshaw Meadows, Amberswood, Bickershaw Nature Park, Three Sisters, Viridor Wood and Low Hall. They have been recognized for their natural beauty and ecological significance, and most are examples of nature reclaiming former coal mining areas.

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"Flashes are created when, more...