A phased reopening for Brockholes Nature Reserve

Lancashire Wildlife Trusts Brockholes Nature Reserve has revealed plans for a phased re opening after the reserve was forced to close its gates during lockdown.

On Saturday 4^th July, Brockholes will reopen the car park and play area for visitors enjoyed, but the Visitor Village and its visitor facilities will remain closed for the time being.

The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has been working behind the scenes to risk assess reopening the much-loved reserve, and opening the doors again is no easy task.

Alan Wright, Communications Manager for the Trust said “We would love to open up all of the facilities in one go, but the amount of work behind getting everything ready, and most importantly safe for the return of visitors is phenomenal.

“For each area, we need to complete full risk assessments, put practical measures in place and train our staff. As a small charity, we are working flat out but it will take us a little longer to reopen fully. We understand that not having facilities such as toilets open will be challenging for our visitors, and we ask for their patience and understanding as we work tirelessly to make this happen”

Anne Selby, Chief Executive for the Lancashire Wildlife Trust said “As a charity, like many other organisations, we have been fighting for survival over the last few months and sadly the challenge is not yet behind us. We saw a huge amount of our income streams turned off overnight, and the Governments job retention scheme has meant the difference between us closing our doors forever, and surviving to fight another day.

This means we are working with a very small team in order to prepare for reopening, as until we can restart these income sources we do not have the funds to bring large numbers of staff back from furlough. Our future is still not secure, and every penny really does count at the moment to ensure the future of Brockholes and our charity. We are working to get things open as quickly as possible, but we must do so safely and responsibly.

We are asking our visitors to treat our reserves with care when they return, and support us in these uncertain times.”

The car park and play area at Brockholes will be open Wednesday to Sunday, 9am-5pm initially. Staff will be on hand to answer any questions, and a self-led trail will be available for families to enjoy. Car parking charges will apply, as the income from parking helps fund the vital conservation work on the reserve, which all visitors both human and wild can benefit from.

Visitors are encouraged to check the Brockholes Facebook page or website for up to date information before visiting, as numbers may need to be restricted for short periods throughout the day if the site becomes full. For more information, visit www.brockholes.org or www.facebook.com/brockholes