Two-year nature recovery project completed

A £1m project to revive a nature reserve in Sheffield has been completed.

Work began at Shire Brook Valley Nature Reserve in 2024, with habitat improvements carried out across more than 400 acres.

Funded by the government's Species Survival Fund, the investment was designed to halt the declining population of native animals in the area.

Kurtis Crossthorn, chair of Sheffield City Council's communities, parks, and leisure committee said: "The scale of improvement achieved over just two years is exceptional, and we are extremely proud of the legacy this project leaves for nature, climate resilience and the local community."

The project was delivered in partnership with organisations including Sheffield Hallam University and the local Wildlife Trust, involving more than 50 volunteers who gave up almost 7,000 hours of their time.

In total 110 new habitat features have been installed, including swift boxes, bat and bird boxes, hedgehog boxes, grass snake egg laying piles, an artificial badger sett, and a kingfisher nesting bank.

Meanwhile, 48 water features have either been restored or created and 9,000 trees have been planted.

The council said it had seen a "clear boom" in wildlife populations as a result of the work.

Harvest mice nests have risen from 40 in 2022 to 215 in 2025 at Woodhouse Washlands, and species such as swifts, amphibians, hedgehogs, bats and kingfishers are "benefiting from the new homes and safer environments created".

The project has also significantly strengthened the valley's natural resilience to flooding, the council said.

Wildlife Trust nature recovery manager Marta Alfaro Tirado said: "The way this project has revitalised Woodhouse Washlands nature reserve is truly extraordinary - protecting and improving this core habitat gives resilience to the wider Shire Brook and River Rother valley."

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