The Magic of Potteric Carr Andy Dalton
Did you know that just three miles from the centre of Doncaster lies an incredibly rich and diverse nature reserve that is almost twice as big as London’s Hyde Park? Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Potteric Carr nature reserve is a real hidden gem, providing a vital respite for both wildlife to be protected and flourish, and for people to escape urban living and rediscover some of Yorkshire’s amazing wildlife.
area. This culminated in the leasing of 13 hectares around Low Eller’s Marsh from British Rail by the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Trust - which later became Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Within the next 10 years, the nature reserve grew to over 100 hectares, took on its first paid employee and was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) to acknowledge its importance as a valuable space for wildlife.
Since its formation in 1968, Potteric Carr has grown considerably. In the post-war years, a small but keen group began to take an avid interest in the animals and plants of the
In 1993, Sir David Attenborough visited Potteric Carr to celebrate its 25th anniversary, where he praised the efforts of the public and voluntary sectors in working
together to create such an important green space. In 1994 there were some worrying proposals to give 1,500 hectares of land around the reserve for development. In response, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust were resolved to not only protect Potteric Carr, but make it bigger and better than ever before. Over the next 19 years, this plan was fulfilled thanks to the tremendous efforts of all those involved. Significant amounts of external funding were required to undertake the work, most notably from the EU. Visitor facilities were improved with the completion of the field centre in
