9:10am Saturday 31st July 2010
By Alexandra Womack
A TREASURED beauty spot near Wick is flying the flag for open spaces.
Wick Golden Valley Local Nature Reserve has been awarded a Green Flag by Keep Britain Tidy for the third year running.
The award was given for the way the reserve is managed, its cleanliness, sustainability and community involvement.
The reserve, a former ochre processing factory, is owned by building materials company CEMEX and is managed in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council and the Friends of Wick Golden Valley Local Nature Reserve.
Matthew Wild, regional director of CEMEX Aggregates Southern region, said: "The Wick Golden Valley Local Nature Reserve is a prime example of how land that has been disturbed by quarrying and industrial processes can be returned to nature, and how partnerships between CEMEX and local authorities, in this case South Gloucestershire Council, and local community groups can result in flagship, high quality nature reserves with improved habitats for wildlife."
Chairman of the council, Cllr Janet Biggin, said: "The nature reserve in Wick is such a unique place with such a diverse habitat so readily accessible to the local community and I am delighted that it has been chosen to receive this award.
"Visitors also flock to the woodland to follow the audio bat trail and the river provides a home for many birds including kingfishers and dippers, and it also supports otters and a wide variety of fish and aquatic life."
As well as the Green Flag award, Wick is also celebrating its fifth year as a nature reserve which has also become an important habitat supporting peregrine falcons who nest in the adjacent quarry.
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