A NEW boardwalk over peat bogs at Risley Moss has been unveiled following a major restoration project for at-risk wildlife.

The wooden walkway was officially opened on Tuesday, July 17, to allow members up the public to get up close to the ‘mini moss’ education area.

One of the last remaining fragments of lowland raised peat bog that once covered large areas of south Lancashire and north Cheshire, the restoration will create safe spaces for at-risk wildlife and will help to establish an education programme for schools.

It is the first of eight major projects to be undertaken as part of the £3.2m Carbon Restoration scheme between Natural England and Warrington, Salford and Wigan councils.

Cllr Tony Higgins, Warrington Borough Council’s executive board member for leisure and communities, said: “The mini moss and boardwalk that has been created through the Carbon Landscape showcases the vital role nature can play in improving lives, with vastly improved access and educational value.

“I am looking forward to taking hundreds of school children out onto the moss and watching them learn about this amazing, rare habitat that is right on their doorstep - which up until now has been hard to access and see.”

Carbon Restoration aims to reconnect green spaces between the towns that have been ravaged by industry in the past, and will restore more than 130 hectares of land to nature.

Further projects include restoration work at Woolston Eyes, Paddington Meadows and Rixton Claypits - with the help of hundreds of volunteers and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Programme manager Dr Anna Hatterley added: “People have been digging up the lowland peat bogs for fuel in Salford and Warrington for thousands of years.

“When large areas of peat between these major cities in the north west dry out they become fire hazards.

“This project is restoring these rare habitats, allowing them to soak up and store rainwater.

“Re-wetting the bogs reduces the risk of fires, such as those that are currently ravaging Saddleworth Moor.

“The restoration work enabled by the Carbon Landscape has the extra benefit of helping to reduce flooding in times of extreme rain.”