Volunteers wanted to rally round for dunes

A community action day is being held on Saturday in a bid to help rectify the damage caused by a fire in June which saw the loss of around a fifth of the area between St Annes and South Shore which is a haven for wildlife and fauna.

Amy Pennington, Fylde sand dunes project officer, is hoping the public will to turn out in numbers.

She said: “Nature is resilient but it needs a helping hand.

“We had such an amazing response from the local community when the incident happened, and we would be so grateful to anyone who could give up a few hours of their Saturday to support us in our efforts.

“Just under 10 acres was destroyed in the fire, including the largest area of the rare plant Isle of Man’s Cabbage, and there are still many large areas which have seen little to no re-growth.

“Thankfully, Isle of Man Cabbage and other species of dune plant have a long-lasting seed-bank in the soil.

“We are hoping that by disturbing the sand we can encourage seed germination but it’s going to need the help of a lot of people.

“Large areas of the reserve need to be disturbed, involving using rakes and spades to turn over the top layer of ash and burnt material in order to expose the seed bank below.”

The action day will run from 10am until 1pm. Meet at the yellow hut on Clifton Drive North, opposite the Thursby Nursing Home.