Half-Mile Lake Habitat Improvements

Friends of Tawd Valley (FoTV) is a community group run by volunteers who are passionate about the nature and wildlife they have on their doorstep. The aim of the friends group is to promote and improve the usage of the natural asset of Tawd Valley to support the health and well-being of the community.

Our project: "Half-Mile Fishing Lake Habitat Improvements" will look to improve and protect the the natural habitat in around the Half-Mile Lake in Tawd Valley Park, Skelmersdale.

There are a number of reasons we are asking you for help to support our project:

• Increasing Biosecurity of the lake - We would like to take steps that will help slow the spread of non-native invasive species (INNS). INNS can reduce ecosystem resilience and negatively impact biodiversity, making it less effective in tackling climate change. Examples of INNS within Tawd Valley Park are American Signal Crayfish and Himalayan Balsam. We hope to achieve this through hosting community talks, the installation of site signage and providing angling cleaning stations.

 • Increasing aquatic plant life - We want to build on the aquatic plant life that is already in and around the lake. By doing this, we will increase the oxygen levels in the waterway, which will increase the quality of life for the fish and invertebrates that call the lake home. It will also strengthen the lakes natural ability in capturing carbon, again tackling the growing threat of climate change. We hope to achieve this by purchasing a variety of native aquatic plants and encouraging the community and our volunteers to help us plant them.

• Encouraging a Water Vole population - As part of the aquatic plant-life we would like to introduce, we want to include Water Vole friendly foliage to try and encourage and promote the lake to Water Voles. Water Voles are currently a rodent species that are in decline in the UK due to loss of habitat and poor water quality. We are hoping we can create a safe haven in the valley for them. We hope to achieve this by purchasing Water Vole friendly aquatic plants and again encouraging the community and our volunteers to help us plant them.

We are being match-funded by Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund, which means that for every £1 that you donate, FoTV will receive £3. We are looking to reach a target of £1000 to make this project a success. So, if you donate £10, we will receive £30. How amazing is that?!

Our project will help us achieve our long-term vision of developing Half-Mile Lake in becoming a diverse, resilient, stable, site-adapted, multi-layered waterbody that will help wildlife flourish and help tackle climate change for the benefit of future generations. 

Thank you for taking the time to take a look at our project. Please donate if you can.