Tameside (owned by TBC)

Previously the site of a cinder speedway track, Tameside is now a valuable green space in a busy town and provides valuable nesting sites for a wide range of bird life.

Highlights

• A great variety of people use the site from dog walkers and bird watchers to those walking along its cycle path to get to the shops and back.

• Join the active volunteer group who carry out conservation tasks on the site on the second Sunday of each month.

The main feature

Tameside Local Nature Reserve is best known for the 3.2 hectare lake which lies prominently in the centre of the site. The lake was created around 15 years ago when gravel was extracted for the A5.  Four islands of varying size now provide valuable nesting sites for bird life on the reserve. Visitors to the site and passers-by can admire the view from the lakeside platform and watch lapwings, cormorants and terns on the islands.

River Conservation Project

Tameside Local Nature Reserve is bounded to the east by the River Tame. In winter 2009 major works took place to restore 600 metres of river bank along the Tame. Steep riverbanks were ‘cut back’ to create gentle slopes providing an opportunity for wildlife and creating safer access to the river’s edge. The purpose of the river re-profiling was to improve the river habitat for wildlife and to create a fish refuge/ spawning area to enhance and protect fish stocks in the Tame.   The project was funded through money from the Fisheries Budget of the Environment Agency, from Tamworth Borough Council, and by support in kind from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.

Why not get involved?

Practical conservation tasks are held at Tameside LNR on the second Sunday of each month from 10am – 1pm. Meet at the south end of the lake, just north of Meadowbank.

If you would like to get involved, please contact Tameside Wildlife Conservation Group or “Wild about Tamworth” Project Officer Lindsey Bates on 01827 59912 or 07970 067711.