PARK volunteers breathing life into a wildlife oasis in the heart of Over Hulton have been given a huge boost to transform it into a leading green attraction for families, nature lovers and walkers.
Cutacre Country Park, behind the huge industrial estate Logistics North, is 530 acres of spectacular rolling landscape with views of the Derbyshire Dales and Manchester in the east, across the Cheshire Plain and the Clewydian Mountains to the Mersey Estuary in the west.
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It’s south-facing natural landscape features ponds two lakes, and a myriad of footpaths.
(John Bullen)
And now the newly-formed Friends of Cutacre Park are determined that more people aware of this protected site — a habitat to Great Nested Newts, deer, ground-nesting birds and many other varieties of wildlife — and its natural beauty.
The group has been given a grant of £9,700 to develop the park and move forward with their plans to to transform it into “one of the most significant nature reserves in the North West.
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The support is from the Bolton Fund, through Bolton CVS’s Supporting Social Enterprise Fund.
Leading member John Bullen said: “We are still pinching ourselves.
“The staff at Bolton CVS and Bolton Green Umbrella have been a delight to deal with. They understood immediately what our group is trying to do and have backed us and helped us all the way.
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"Topping it off to get such a rubber stamp of approval from the Bolton Fund is the icing on the cake.”
The money will be used to launch supervised outdoor activities led by qualified coach Melanie Crompton (pictured). Activities will include walking, running, cycling and Nordic ski walking sessions.
Money will also be ploughed into the community orchard on the park, which is accessed via the A6.
Mr Bullen said: “We were asked by the ecologist on the site to take responsibility for the orchard and we are delighted to do so.
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"There is already an abundance and variety of fruit trees planted so we have plans to increase this with fruit bushes and canes, benches for the public and bee hives.
"All in all it is very exciting and we thank the Bolton Fund from the bottom of our hearts.”
Cutacre Country Park was developed by Harworth Estates as part of its plans to give back to the community following the development of the Logistics North retail distribution site.
As the park is still under development there has yet to be an official 'opening' but already there is regularly over a thousand visitors a day taking their lockdown exercise there.
Over the festive period, the friends group estimate that in excess of two thousand people enjoyed the views and the terrain.Mr Bullen said that the ambition was to make Cutacre Country Park one of Greater Manchester’s Best Park Walks.
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