Nature in Your Neighbourhood comes to Cecilly Brook
- Apr 30
- 3 min read
On the 16th of April 2026, the exciting Nature in Your Neighbourhood Project officially began at Cecilly Brook, in Cheadle. This is part of a five-year project funded by The National Lottery Community Fund to monitor habitat health and how much boosted biodiversity benefits local people and the planet.
The lottery grant of £752,000 started in 2024 and includes partners such as Moorland Climate Action, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, and Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services. The end date for the project is March 2029, and by then the partners will be able to see the changes working groups can make to nature, as they will have definitive results collected from surveys to see which changes to our natural environment work.
This project is being managed by a PhD student at Keele University and can be as simple as the district council not mowing a piece of land. It also benefits other parts of Britain and is ultimately important to our food supply, as reported in the March issue of COGNEWS Monthly. https://www.cheadlecog.com/post/why-our-access-to-food-is-under-threat-and-what-we-can-do-about-it
Volunteer Adrian Paddocks told our reporter what biodiversity is:
Cecilly Brook Volunteers and Ranger Bryony Davison from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust have placed signs at the nature reserve so that visitors can help monitor existing flora and fauna which will help preserve and improve the reserve for generations to come.
Cecilly Brook is a beautiful part of Cheadle's charm. Meandering its way from north to south, this ever-changing area, with rippling water and overhanging trees, delights young and old alike. The accessibility and upkeep are thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers keen to nurture nature for the good of residents, visitors, and most importantly, all the species who call Cecilly Brook home. They are local heroes, and today we'd like to tell you a little about their work.
The group is called Friends of Cecilly Brook and Hales Hall Pool and you can see their work and some stunning photographs at https://www.cecillybrooklnr.org.uk/
The aim of the Friends is to protect, conserve, and enhance the natural environment of Cecilly Brook and Hales Hall Pool, to encourage others to enjoy the reserve and join in with this work so that access to the local nature reserve, its flora, and fauna is preserved and protected for future generations.
Working closely with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, a management plan has been put in place, and the group receives guidance from SWT's Senior Land Management Officer. Last year, volunteers clocked up a total of 490 hours.
Projects include a monthly litter pick and monthly water quality tests on Cecilly Brook. Regular maintenance of the art installation “Predator/Prey Labyrinth” near Oakamoor Rd is carried out along with cleaning of the signage at both reserve sites.
Past activities include nest box clearing, maintenance & numbering, plus the addition of new boxes along with hay raking on the meadows & seed sowing to enhance the meadows & bank side vegetation.
Bramble control, path maintenance from Oakamoor Rd to Mill Rd, including path edging & leaf blowing, and balsam pulling all keep the area pristine for visitors to enjoy and species to thrive.
Various surveys have been carried out, including several Riverfly surveys, a Willow tit survey & vegetation & pollinator surveys in several meadow areas.
Cecilly Brook has been accepted as one of the sites for the Nature in Your Neighbourhood Project (NIYN) & has been working with partners to plan & survey baseline data for this project, which will run for five years.
The group has secured funding to organise both a Bat and Moth evening & a mini-series of wildlife talks which are open to everyone.
It's been a busy year for the friends who are now well into their plans for 2026, which include enhancing the meadows as part of the NIYN Project and hedge laying as well as their regular tasks.
To find out how you can get involved, visit:
Celebrating Cecily Brook - 26th January 2026
