Ducks, geese and swans congregate at the edge of Pennington Flash’s lake. They crowd around me, perhaps hoping for food, though I have none. Nearby is an ice-cream van, with one early morning customer, but the birds are not getting a cone from me. I wouldn’t share it.
Soon, however, the refreshment options are going to improve – though I’d advise against offering wildlife a flat white and a 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 centre and a cafe with outdoor decking where visitors will be able to sit and savour views of the lake, woodland and wildlife.
The facilities will, after further public consultation, also include a nature-themed, wheelchair-accessible children’s playground with a central toddler “lake” that will be an area of play equipment modelled on swans and boats.
This “flash” at Pennington is among several around Wigan and Leigh, in the west of Greater Manchester, which have recently been designated by Natural England as part of a new national nature reserve (NNR). Now called the Flashes of Wigan and Leigh, the eight sites cover more than 800 hectares (1,976 acres) and also include Wigan Flashes, Lightshaw Meadows, Amberswood, Bickershaw country park, Three Sisters, Viridor Wood and Low Hall. They have been recognised for their natural beauty and ecological importance, and most are examples of nature reclaiming former coal-mining areas.
“Flashes are created when, over time, land previously used in industry subsides and water fills the space,” says Mark Champion, projects manager at Lancashire Wildlife Trust, which will manage the reserve in conjunction with Wigan council and Forestry England. “Nature and wildlife eventually follow. If you like, it’s a case of from coal tips to willow tits.”
Across the new NNR, swamps, reedbeds, herb fens, marshy grasslands and wet woodlands support an array of birds, including about 2% of England’s willow tit population. Wintering bitterns, considered rare, are also frequent visitors.
“This won’t be your last visit,” says David Molyneux, the leader of Wigan council, turning his face to the surprisingly warm October sun and joking: “It’s always like this here, very Mediterranean.”
I meet Molyneux and Champion before exploring Pennington Flash, eager to take in an area both green and easily accessible for locals. “Wigan is one of the greenest urban boroughs in the UK,” says Champion. “The word urban is important because this area is not the same as somewhere like Cornwall. It’s a busy, populated area, yet it’s still 60% green space – and that’s not including city or town parks.”
Currently, the eight sites receive about 800,000 visits a year. Molyneux, a major advocate for the reserve, hopes this will increase, and that visitors will gain a better understanding of conservation and the environment.
“It was a proud moment getting this recognition, and something we’d worked hard towards for many years,” he says. “The Flashes have been our borough’s best-kept secret – known and loved by locals but not necessarily on the radar of people further afield. Now we’re proud to share that secret with the world.”
Molyneux is aware that NNR status is also a stepping stone for more improvements across the sites, each of which has its own identity and range of activities: Amberswood is important for ornithology; at Wigan Flashes colliery spoil and ash have enabled orchids and evening primrose to thrive; and at Viridor Wood there are cycling and horse-riding trails, and a fishing lake.
“NNR status gives us a platform from which to educate and inspire future generations and tell the story of these landscapes. It also puts us in pole position for further funding to tackle the big twin challenges of our time: nature recovery and climate change,” Molyneux says.
I walk along a path by the lake that was once the route of the Great Central Railway but which is now laden with trees and dotted with bird hides. I could detour towards the Leeds-Liverpool canal and its heritage trail, but instead I circle the lake, occasionally looking back to where I met Champion and Molyneux. Even in the early autumn sunshine I appreciate it’s not the Mediterranean, but the blue water and the green, amber and russet of the trees make a dazzling vista – and there are still seven more of these marvels for me to explore.
