Swifts nature reserve in Carlisle is completed © Stuart Walker Photography
Work completed on Carlisle wildlife haven
Work has been completed on a new 42-acre wildlife haven for birds, bees and butterflies in Carlisle
The Swifts golf course and driving range in Carlisle city centre has become one of the very first urban bee and butterfly oasis in the North West.
The Swifts site, in the centre of Carlisle, includes grassland, woodland and riverbanks. It has been transformed into an urban nature reserve thanks to £80,000 funding from Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust (CWMET) and £8,000 from the Environment Agency.
The funding has breathed new life into the site, transforming once manicured greens and fairways into wildflower meadows, species-rich wetland and native woodland, helping to boost populations of bees and butterflies.
The site is owned by Carlisle City Council, who worked collaboratively with us to ensure the successful delivery of the project.
With improved access and signage, and within close walking distance of Carlisle city centre, the site is an oasis for wildlife and visitors to the site. The funding has been secured by Cumbria Wildlife Trust, and working in partnership with Carlisle City Council, the restoration works were part of our Get Cumbria Buzzing! project. The project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and aims to create and link pollinator habitat across northwest Cumbria.
The Swifts will feature in our Big Buzz Conference and Fringe in Carlisle on 23-25 September, including a Council led-team planting 4,000 wildflower plug plants at the site. Find out more here.
The Swifts in Carlisle, after it was transformed into a nature reserve © Stuart Walker Photography
Cllr Nigel Christian, Portfolio holder for Environment and Transport at Carlisle City Council said:
“Pollinating insects are a critical component of a healthy ecosystem, however more than half of UK bee, butterfly and moth species have declined in the past 50 years and 30 species of bee face extinction. Over the last 75 years 97% of flower rich meadows have been lost, whilst 60% of flowering plants are in decline.
“The Swifts project restores and create three different types of habitat in the centre of Carlisle: wildflower hay meadows; diverse woodland containing native flowering tree and shrub species; and wet grassland featuring seasonal scrapes (shallow pools of water). This combination will not only provide essential habitat for pollinating insects but will also offer feeding and nesting opportunities for a wide range of bird and mammal species. As part of the project, we have retained and enhanced the existing network of informal public footpaths across the site.”
Tanya St. Pierre, Cumbria Wildlife Trust said: “The Swifts project has been an incredible opportunity to work in partnership with Carlisle City Council to create valuable new wildlife habitat that will contribute to nature’s recovery. Its city centre location means it is a wonderful, accessible place for people too, and we know a thriving, wildlife-rich environment benefits both physical and mental health. It’s a great example of how spaces in urban areas can be transformed for both wildlife and people and we’d love to see more projects like this across the city.”
Over the past two years, Carlisle City Council has removed old golf course infrastructure; thinned dense stands of non-native amenity trees; re-created species rich hay meadows; planted native flowering tree species; and installed a series of shallow seasonal bodies of water, known as scrapes.
Contractors working on the council’s behalf on the project were: OpenSpace Cumbria Ltd, Evans Agricultural Contractors Ltd, Cumbria Wildflowers Ltd and Volker Stevin Ltd.
The Swifts has remained open to the public throughout the duration of the project.
The Swifts will continue to be managed and maintained by Carlisle City Council’s Green Spaces team to improve and develop the range of habitats created during this project. This includes management of the grassland areas by cutting and removing an annual hay crop, plus additional planting of wildflower plug plants and additional trees, when and where appropriate.
The Swifts is open to public access at all times, entrance points are located to the rear of the Sands Centre, off Swifts Bank Car Park and from the flood embankment to the North of Trinity School. Paths across the site are informal but easily accessed during the summer months.
We're seeking people’s views on other spaces in the city that could be transformed for nature and local communities. Please respond online.
Notes
Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust provides grant assistance to Parish Councils, local community groups and not for profit organisations for environmental and community projects in parts of the local authority areas of Carlisle, Eden and Allerdale.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund uses money raised by the National Lottery, to inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund.
Since The National Lottery began in 1994, National Lottery players have raised over £43 billion for projects and more than 635,000 grants have been awarded across the UK. More than £30 million raised each week goes to good causes across the UK.