LEGEND has it that the mysterious Knights Templar are responsible for a colourful host of flowers which are blooming in a patch of Bolton woodland.

Now a conservation group is helping to keep the tale alive by carrying out vital work at St John’s Wood in Lostock.

The autumn crocus, a distinctive coloured flower, blossoms between September and November in the northern hemisphere, and the flowers have recently emerged in the Tempest Road woodland.

People in Lostock believe the rare plant was brought to St John’s Wood by the Templars in the 12th century when they returned from the Crusades in the Holy Land.

It is also thought that the wood takes its name from a Templar order, the Knights of St John.

St John’s Wood is leased from Bolton Council by the Lostock and Chew Moor Conservation Group, and its members tend to the area every Friday.

Their numbers have now been boosted by volunteers from Barton Grange garden centre, who offered to help remove brambles and nettles to make sure the historic crocus are not choked by weeds.

The garden centre has also put up a new sign at the entrance to the wood and paid the group’s public liability insurance costs for the next two years as part of a charity drive.

Alwyn McNab, a member of the conservation group committee, said: “It is absolutely fantastic that Barton Grange is doing this.

“It is a really big help because there’s only about six of us, and we are all aged about 70, so to get supporters and other people to help us is just grand.”

Mrs McNab, aged 74, of Pocket Nook Road, Chew Moor, added: “The work we are doing will make it a more amenable place.

“Lots of people love to walk through it and we have a lot of support from people telling us how wonderful it is.

“I don’t know much about the Templars, but we are making sure the crocuses stay there to keep the legend alive.”

As well as the crocus, St John’s Wood is populated by sycamores, ash and other trees, including a rare black poplar planted in the Victorian era.

It is home to a variety of wildlife, including birds, bats, squirrels and foxes.

Barton Grange deputy manager Tony Jones said: “We like to be involved in community projects, and we heard that the conservation group was struggling, so we just wanted to help the local community by lending a hand.”

julian.thorpe@ theboltonnews.co.uk