Close encounters with the Wind in the Willows
Visitors to a Lancashire nature reserve have been meeting Mr Toad, Ratty, Mole and Badger – characters from a classic book.
The Wind in the Willows Trail, at Brockholes, features sculptures of characters from the Kenneth Grahame book and opened to the public last week.
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust-managed reserve marked the opening of the new trail – which includes five-foot high sculptures of those wonderful characters – with a themed The Wind in the Willows week, supported by The Lowry Theatre in Salford.
The week included a variety of fun The Wind in the Willows themed events and activities, including crafts, face painting and guided walks around the new trail, which was funded after a public vote.
Brockholes Events Manager Sarah Leach was thrilled at the reaction the trail and themed week activities received.
She said: “The trail and sculptures are proving to be a terrific addition to the nature reserve. As well as offering a great chance to explore the reserve and see some magnificent views, the chance to meet iconic characters like Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad provides some great photo opportunities for the youngsters too.”
“It was a thrill to see our themed activities of this classic tale prove so popular and some lucky families have also won tickets to the eagerly anticipated ‘The Wind in the Willows: The Musical’ at The Lowry later this year.”
The Trail offers stunning views of the 250 acre nature reserve, as well as the River Ribble, was funded as a result of the Tesco Bags of Help scheme, which saw proceeds from the charges for carrier bags given to good causes.
Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch this initiative across England and Wales and the scheme saw the most popular green space projects awarded grants following the result of a public vote.
Brockholes is situated just off Junction 31 of the M6 near Preston. It is the perfect location for a family day out, with over 250 acres of nature reserve to explore, as well as an iconic floating Visitor Village which plays host to an interactive Welcome Centre, a gift shop and a lakeside restaurant. You can visit www.brockholes.org for more information.