Volunteers transform Lincolnshire wasteland into nature reserve

Pete Boekestyn (back left) described the volunteers' work as "a labour of love"

Volunteers have transformed a rubbish-strewn wasteland into a thriving home for nature.

The land in Spalding, Lincolnshire, was previously used by rough sleepers and was a fly-tipping hotspot.

Over five years, Vernatt's Nature Reserve has had trees planted along with a carpet of hundreds of bluebells and snowdrops.

Project organiser Pete Boekestyn described the work by locals as a "labour of love".

"The best way to say what it was like before is that we had people who came and walked their dogs once and never wanted to come back again," he said.

"We got the volunteers together and decided we needed to clean this place up and in six weeks we cleared 85 bags full of rubbish.

"[Then we] got rid of the old mattresses that were there and then set about making sure it stayed as nice as it should be."

Volunteers cleared 85 bags of rubbish from the site

The 1.42 hectare site (3.5 acres) was formerly part of a British Sugar factory and was bought by South Holland District Council in 1995.

It sits next to an industrial estate and incorporates a daffodil walk, which has a new cycle path running through it.

Bug hotels and more than 60 bird boxes have been been installed, with local firms donating materials and seeds.

Trees and flowers have been planted at the site

Mr Boekestyn paid tribute to the "dedicated volunteers who wanted to make it a beautiful green space in Spalding and and we've achieved it".

"It's the love of your town," he said.

"It's the love of nature. It's a gut feeling that you want to go out and do it."