10th May 2016
A £15,000 grant is set to improve facilities for visitors with wheelchairs, mobility scooters and pushchairs.
Friends of Harrington Nature Reserve received grant aid from the Robin Rigg West Cumbria Fund, administered by Cumbria Community Foundation, to repair and resurface footpaths leading to points of natural beauty and interest within the community nature reserve.
Maureen Dolan, Chairwoman of the Friends of Harrington Nature Reserve, said: “It’s wonderful news for an asset enjoyed by the local community and visitors. We are delighted to be in a position to improve the access. It has been a beauty spot for generations and we want to be able to share it with everyone.”
The access improvement scheme is part a wider project being developed to de-silt the reservoir and implement a range of improvements to advance the quality of the wetland habitat.
The Robin Rigg West Cumbria Fund was set up by energy company E.ON to benefit communities close to the Robin Rigg offshore wind farm. It has awarded more than £350,000 in grants to projects promoting sustainable use of energy and resources, reducing climate change and nature conservation.
Emma Skelton, Business Service Coordinator at Eon, said: “We have been engaging with West Cumbrian communities for many years and it is fantastic to be able to support so many projects. We think it’s vital to be connected to the communities that we operate in and provide positive long-term benefits for years to come.”
Annalee Holliday, Grants and Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation said: “We’ve always been keen to share the benefits of local environmental schemes to the wider community. Thanks to the dedication of volunteers and this funding, we’ve been able to invest in improvements to make Harrington Nature Reserve more accessible to those with limited mobility.”
The reservoir was man-made in 1863 to supply the long-closed Harrington ironworks. Allerdale council declared the reservoir and surrounding habitat a local nature reserve in 1993. It consists of many high quality habitats, some of them very rare and found in few other places throughout West Cumbria.
For more information on the Robin Rigg West Cumbria Fund or to apply online, click here or contact Annalee Holliday on 01900 825760 or email annalee@cumbriafoundation.org