TV botanist Professor David Bellamy gives borough seal of approval (From Leigh Journal)

TV botanist Professor David Bellamy gives borough seal of approval

10:46am Wednesday 17th March 2010 in

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THE borough’s wet and wild side has been given the seal of approval by TV botanist Professor David Bellamy.

The veteran broadcaster and environmental campaigner believes the area - from Pennington Flash to Haigh Country Park – is the most biodiverse region in Greater Manchester.

He said: “It is one of the hot spots of the North West, the only borough in the county where you can find bittern and red squirrels and is a stronghold regionally for species such as water vole, great crested newt, willow tit, water rail, pochard and a host of others. What’s more, they are in expert caring hands!”

2010 has been declared the international Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations and Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust (WLCT) has teamed up with Lancashire Wildlife Trust to organise a fitting series of wildlife events from bee days to butterfly safaris, bat walks to bug hunts.

Wildlife and countryside manager for WLCT Graham Workman said: “Thanks to our industrial past of mills and mines we now have a rich and varied landscape and wealth of wildlife - the sinking of the land due to mining gave us the 'flashes' at Wigan and Pennington.

“Reclaiming industrial land has provided us with some of its other 'green jewels', including Leigh’s Lilford Wood, which have had continuous tree cover for hundreds and hundreds of years.

“Join all these and the other sites up through wildlife corridors of canals, streams, hedgerows, woods, country lanes and large tracts of farmland and then manage them sympathetically and it's easy to see why Wigan is the 'hotspot' of Greater Manchester!”