Details of an evening of talks and presentations focused on two of Greater Manchester’s most ambitious outdoor projects – the GM Ringway walking trail, and the Pennington Flash nature reserve – have been announced.

Taking place at the Friends Meeting House on Mount Street in Manchester on November 30^th (7.00pm – 9.00pm), the event will feature Dr Andrew Read, creator of the Greater Manchester Ringway, and Alan Cargill, former Conservation Officer for Leigh Ornithological Society.

Andrew, who is also author of the Ordnance Survey’s Outstanding Circular Walks in Greater Manchester guide book, will be talking about how he originally conceived and developed the pioneering 200-mile GM Ringway trail, and reflecting on how it has now become an accessible gateway to a wealth of countryside, waterways, and wildlife, for thousands of people.

Following Andrew’s talk, Alan will be sharing details of the complex and challenging restoration which has been undertaken at the 70-hectare Pennington Flash nature reserve, near Leigh.

Pennington Flash is one eight sites which make up the 800-hectare Flashes of Wigan and Leigh network; a collection of major wetland habitats which were formed by the ‘flash flooding’ of former coal mining sites over 125 years ago.

The first and only National Nature Reserve (NNR) in Greater Manchester, the Flashes of Wigan and Leigh are today visited by around 100,000 visitors each year. They are also home to nationally significant wildlife populations, including some of the UK’s most endangered species of bird.

With tickets for the event now on sale (priced £6-£8), all proceeds will be shared by the RSPB Manchester Local Branch, and the GM Ringway’s charitable arm, the GM Ringway Association.

This is the second recent collaboration between RSPB Manchester and the GM Ringway Association. In August, both organisations worked together to run a series of sponsored walks around the GM Ringway trail.

Funds raised by the activity are now being used to support the restoration of local moorland near Dovestone Reservoir, which was badly damaged by the summer’s wildfires.

For more details of the joint fundraising evening, or to book tickets, click here.