Fylde Dunes on Countryfile

The amazing work to restore the sand dune habitat on the Fylde Coast was featured on BBC’s Countryfile on Sunday 10th April 2022.

Presenter Tom Heap spoke to Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s Dunes Project Officer Amy Pennington and volunteers as they planted marram grass on the dunes at St Anne’s.

The piece is part of a wider part of the iconic show about how the North West is dealing with coastal erosion. The Wildlife Trust, Blackpool Council and Fylde Borough Council have been undertaking works to implement the Sand Dune Management Plan over the last nine years. The partnership recently received £999,000 from the Environment Agency to continue the work for a further five years. Over the last 150 years much of the sand dunes have been lost and today 80 hectares remain, but more than 100 metres have been created by the partnership work. The dunes protect homes in the area and a local nature reserve. The dunes are home to several internationally significant plants, rare invertebrates, and priority species of birds. Sand lizards (the UK’s rarest lizard) have been successfully reintroduced since 2018 now habitat conditions are deemed favourable. Cllr Jane Hugo, Blackpool’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, met Tom Heap and volunteers on the dunes. She said: “We have a strong track record of delivering coastal protection schemes and it is great to see that work continuing along the Fylde Coast.” Lancashire Wildlife Trust Conservation Officer Kim Wisdom said: “Over the past nine years there has been significant improvement to the structure of the dunes, which protect wildlife and the homes of people living nearby. Only last year, we saw the completion of a joint project to return sand lizards to the dunes.”

You can watch the full episode online at: www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/m0016ckv

The Wildlife Trusts

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is dedicated to the protection and promotion of the wildlife in Lancashire, seven boroughs of Greater Manchester and four of Merseyside, all lying north of the River Mersey. It manages around 40 nature reserves and 20 Local Nature Reserves covering acres of woodland, wetland, upland and meadow. The Trust has 30,000 members, and over 1,200 volunteers. To become a member of the Trust go to the website at www.lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324129