Manx Wildlife Trust nature reserve extended after legacy donation

A legacy donation by a MWT supporter helped to buy the land

A nature reserve in the north of the Isle of Man has been extended for the third time.

An additional 5 acres (2 hectares) will be added to Goshen Nature Reserve in Ballaugh, which is made up of of hay meadows managed for wildflowers.

The land was purchased by the Manx Wildlife Trust with the help of legacy funds left by Manx resident Anne Kaye.

Chairman Leigh Morris said it had allowed the trust to "bank" another key part of "precious conservation land".

The original land was purchased by the trust in 1995 and extended further in 1998 and 2008.

The Ballaugh reserve was also extended in 1998 and 2008

The reserve lies on the western edge of the Ballaugh Curragh Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) and the island's only Ramsar site.

It provides a home for species including orchids, lady's smock, yellow rattle, meadowsweet and purple loosestrife.

A spokesman for the trust said it was "an area of outstanding ecological importance for its wetland habitats and associated flora and fauna".

Ms Kaye's daughters said their mother was "an avid supporter" of the the charity for many years and they had been "thrilled" to learn how her legacy donation had helped to acquire an area of curragh and developing woodland.

Tina Teare and Aly Quayle said their mother would "most definitely approve" of the project as she was "especially keen on birds and orchids, which this area of the island is renowned for".

Mr Morris said the extension was an "excellent example" of how legacy funding had allowed the trust to buy and "bank another key part of the island's precious conservation land in perpetuity for the nation".

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