Celebrate Our Birthday by Volunteering or Visiting
Martin Mere first opened its doors in 1975 and since then, our wetland centre has been visited roughly five million times by visitors enjoying all that wetland nature and our activities have to offer.
This weekend we're celebrating our 45th birthday. Martin Mere first opened its doors in 1975 and since then, our wetland centre has been visited roughly five million times by visitors enjoying all that wetland nature and our activities have to offer.
On top of welcoming visitors to the centre, our reserve plays a vital role in conserving wetland species. The whooper swans are probably one of the most well-known birds the visit Martin Mere, along with pink-footed geese. Both these species will soon be departing for their breeding grounds in Iceland, so make sure you experience the spectacle of the swan feeds before they finish at the end of March.
While birds are the most obvious wildlife on site, Martin Mere actually plays hosts to over 2,000 different species of birds, mammals, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mini-beasts. In addition, the site is a haven for many traditional Lancashire plants, such as the endangered whorled caraway, golden dock, tubular water dropwort, early marsh orchids, the large-flowered hemp nettle and purple ramping fumitory.
Martin Mere is also very important for the economy of West Lancashire, with research by Lancaster University showing that around £5 million is brought into the local economy every year by visitors to Martin Mere. This was found not only to just support 65 jobs at the site, but a further 28 full time positions in the local area.
The running of the centre takes a lot of time and effort and we wouldn’t have such a thriving wetland centre if it wasn’t for the 150 volunteers regularly helping us. As part of our birthday celebrations, we are holding a volunteering week from Monday 2nd – Sunday 8th March and would like to meet anybody who has a few hours spare and thinks they could help us in our work.
We have many different volunteer positions: visitor information volunteers, conservation work, office admin, gardening, mechanics, and carpentry. Not only will you enjoy helping one of the UK’s best nature reserves, but you’ll also enjoy the social element of the work, including special volunteering events throughout the year.
For more information about volunteering, drop in anytime between 2-4pm during Volunteer Week, 2 nd – 8th March to speak to our staff about the many opportunities we have available.
