A new nature reserve for Penrith is set to open in May, with bumper celebrations planned, including music, a community parade and the revival of a historic Penrith ‘bottle shaking’ tradition.
Sitting in between Beacon Edge and the Carleton Meadows housing estate, the 30 acres which make up the new reserve were gifted to Cumbria Wildlife Trust by the late Ann Clark in memory of her husband, Brian.
Now, after a lot of hard work by staff and volunteers, it is ready to be opened to the public.
Cold Springs engagement officer Ami Stidolph said plans for the opening event were “shaping up to be really exciting”.
“There will be live music, sweet treats, bug bioblitz, composting games and workshops, pond dipping and a treasure trail with prizes,” she told the Herald.
“Lots of local groups are involved so far, including Garden Organic and the Penrith scouts. If you would like to attend the opening festival the event is totally free and you can arrive any time between 10am and 3pm. Our ‘bottle shaking parade’ will take place at 11am and 1pm.”
Visitors will be able to explore a main circular path and a network of routes around the reserve’s meadows. A wheelchair accessible path runs from a nearby housing estate to a pond where there is decking and seating.
A community orchard, planted in recent months, is another highlight, benefiting from 50 Cumbrian heritage trees including apples, pears and plums.
Visitors can also view progress at the site’s ancient well, which is being restored.
“We are currently restoring the structure using Penrith sandstone, ready to reopen the well for public access,” said Ami.
“The well is possibly Roman, with the current sandstone structure dating to the 1840s.”
The well was at the heart of a bottle shaking festival, celebrated in the Victorian era on the last Sunday of May each year.
This involved Penrith children parading up to the well, where they filled their bottles and added liquorice, before shaking to create a delicious frothy drink.
The celebrations were intended as a blessing and celebration of water, but became a rowdy excuse for a party so were shut down by the Bishop of Penrith in 1924.
The good news though is that Cumbria Wildlife Trust is now bringing the celebrations back.
“On 25th May we will celebrate the opening of the whole reserve alongside our own bottle shaking festival,” said Ami.
“Local children will be encouraged to parade across the reserve with a live band and create their own sweet drink using natural products and shaking their bottles.
“Along with the revival of the well and its bottle shaking, the site’s biodiversity has also been receiving a boost, with dragonflies, kestrels, beetles and even badgers among the happy residents.
“We have a healthy population of badgers on the reserve, which is brilliant,” said Ami. “We have got quite a few sets. It is a success story, the reserve is booming.”
More than 50 volunteers have been working at the site in recent months to get it ready, with Ami stressing the reserve has been specially created for the community.
“I’d love people to feel like it is their space,” she said. “It is for all of us to enjoy. The development of the reserve has come from consultation with the community, which is ongoing.
“On the opening day there will be something for everyone. Lots of fun things that aren’t necessarily nature-related but hopefully a fantastic way of introducing people to the reserve and its possibilities.
“There are loads of things to do and enjoy on the site, so hopefully we will give you some of the flavour of the fun that can be had up there.”
Funders for the reserve include the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust, Eden District Council, Defra, Westmorland and Furness Council, The Hadfield Trust and The Victoria Wood Foundation.
