Former golf course becomes wooded haven for wildlife

A former golf course in north Cheshire is to be transformed by the Woodland Trust into a haven for nature and a wild place for communities to visit for years to come.

With tree cover just shy of 6.5% in Merseyside and Cheshire, compared to the national average of 13%, the site will provide vital green space, as well as becoming a beacon for combating climate change.

Over the next 50 years, the Frodsham golf course site, on the outskirts of Frodsham, Cheshire, offers an exciting opportunity to link the existing Woodland Trust sites at Snidley Moor, Woodhouse Hill & Frodsham Hill Woods, with other areas of adjoining woodland.

It will develop as native broadleaf woodland and all trees planted will help to grow The Mersey Forest and the larger Northern Forest, which stretches from Liverpool to the Yorkshire coast.

Neil Oxley, site manager of the Woodland Trust:

“This is a really exciting new site for the Woodland Trust, close to urban areas and providing a vital area for wildlife and recreation. Cheshire as a whole is low in tree cover so this new woodland will provide vital tree cover and help us tackle the twin threats of climate change and biodiversity loss.”

Tim Oliver, Trees for Climate Coordinator at The Mersey Forest, said:

“We’re pleased to be working alongside The Woodland Trust to help create new native woodland in this area. Creating more woodlands in and around our communities helps to connect people with nature, improves people’s health and wellbeing as well as providing habitat for local wildlife to thrive.”

The site will provide habitats for wildlife, providing access to nature for local communities and locking away carbon. The new woodland will protect the existing ancient semi-natural and secondary woodlands nearby. It will have a varied and diverse woodland structure interspersed with grassy paths and open glades.

There will be a network of footpaths for informal public access across the site with views of the Sandstone Ridge, River Mersey, Liverpool and the Welsh Hills. The site will also be delivering community engagement and education through volunteering and space for outdoor learning.

Objectives at the site are:

• Nature recovery: The new native woodland and other habitats created on the site will support nature recovery and enhance biodiversity by providing new habitats for wildlife and connecting existing woodland.
• Climate change: It will capture carbon and develop as a long-term carbon store.
• People: It will provide access to nature for local people and for public recreation and community involvement, as well as opportunities for outdoor learning.

Notes to editors

For more information on this release, contact Andy Bond on 07725 480434.

About the Woodland Trust

The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK. It has over 500,000 supporters. It wants to see a UK rich in native woods and trees for people and wildlife. 

The Trust has three key aims:

• protect ancient woodland, which is rare, unique and irreplaceable
• restoration of damaged ancient woodland, bringing precious pieces of our natural history back to life
• plant native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.

Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 29,000 hectares. Access to its woods is free so everyone can benefit from woods and trees.

Northern Forest

The Northern Forest has already established over 5 million new trees since 2018 and is transforming the landscape from coast to coast and in and around cities such as Liverpool, Chester, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, York and Hull. A partnership between The Woodland Trust, the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK, and Community Forests: City of Trees, Mersey Forest, Humber Forest and White Rose Forest is delivering this ambitious project. The partnership is connecting people with nature through the Northern Forest, creating growth and investment opportunities, reducing climate change and flood risk, improving health and wellbeing, supporting the rural economy and developing innovative funding mechanisms for the future.

The community forests in the north – The Mersey Forest, White Rose Forest, City of Trees and Humber Forest – have been working with the Woodland Trust to take the Northern Forest from concept to reality. They all have a long and successful history of working together and combine over a century of environmental regeneration and green infrastructure experience.

The Mersey Forest

The Mersey Forest is a growing network of woodlands and green spaces spread across Cheshire and Merseyside which has been creating 'woodlands on your doorstep' for 30 years.

The Forest is one of the leading environmental regeneration initiatives in the North West. Through community and partnership working, it has planted 9 million trees - equivalent to five new trees for every person living within the Forest area.

The Forest helps towns and cities adapt to climate change; creates woodlands that 20% of local people visit at least once a week and helps improve the image of towns and cities. It achieves all of this and more through partnership of local authorities, landowners, the Forestry Commission, Natural England, the Environment Agency and businesses.