Swan island in Cornwall raised due to rising tides

Known locally as Swan Island, the simple stone stack has been used for nesting

A stone stack next to a medieval bridge in Cornwall used by breeding swans has been raised by volunteers after becoming submerged.

The stack in Wadebridge was last refurbished 28 years ago but has since suffered erosion and was underwater during recent super moon tides.

A group of volunteers lowered three tonnes of stone and two tonnes of earth from the bridge to raise the island by about 1m (3.3ft).

A local wildlife enthusiast said he hoped the work would keep swans eggs dry for "decades to come".

'Heartbreaking'

Cornwall Councillor Robin Moorcroft, who organised the volunteers to get the materials down to the island at low tide, said he decided to take action after he "noticed the swans on the nest, building away as they do".

He said: "Unfortunately, a few days later, we came back down and we'd had particularly high tides, and I saw the swan sticking her head in the water looking for the eggs.

"It was really heartbreaking. So, I spoke to a few lads, and really, as they say, the rest is history."

Volunteers added about 1m of height to the island

Adrian Langdon is a local naturalist and warden of the local bird reserve.

He said: "Swans and the swans nest have always been a part of the community. Children walk this way to school every day.

"They're always looking. They know immediately in the spring when the first egg is laid. They know when the first signet gets hatched.

"It's a major part of the community."

This swan was looking after the cygnets on the island in 2020

Nick "Gus" Andrews is one of the volunteers who loaded stone up on the bridge into sacks to be lowered down to the island.

He said: "There's no payment. It's just a real strong community spirit. It's great.

"We've done lots of bits and pieces around town and we all have a good laugh and a hard day's graft, and share a pint after."