A NETWORK of nature reserves could be created throughout Bolton within the next few years.

Officials from the Wildlife Trust are hoping a new community liaison officer, paid for with lottery cash, will help raise the profile of the borough's two nature reserves and help them work towards creating several more.

Over the next three years schoolchildren and local people will be encouraged to get more involved with the existing nature reserves at Doffcocker Lodge and Nob End.

And if this is successful then they will push for more areas to be made nature reserves.

Additional sites the Wildlife Trust wants given the protection of nature reserve status are Red Moss, one of Greater Manchester's last remaining mosslands, and Eatock Lodge, where Great Crested Newts, toads and frogs live in the middle of an urban environment.

"Bolton has so much to offer," said community projects officer Daveen Wallis.

"It would be nice to see a network of local nature reserves. It would be an amazing prospect."

The new officer, who is due to be appointed at the beginning of next year, will be responsible for working with schools and producing educational material to encourage them to visit the reserves.

"We want to start getting people to feel they own the sites so they'll start looking after it," said Daveen.