“Well deserved” reward for Tolkien’s inspiration.
The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country are celebrating after news that their Moseley Bog & Joy’s Wood Nature Reserve has been voted first in the list of 50 hidden gems.
The list, which was announced earlier this week, was compiled after a survey carried out by American Express in partnership with bloggers in five cities.
The site is not only a beautiful nature reserve, but also has great cultural value due to being the inspirational childhood playground of JRR Tolkien and archaeological interest as it contains a Bronze Age mound and the remains of Victorian walled gardens.
Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country, Nick Hammond, said: “Moseley Bog and Joy’s Wood is well deserving of this position in the list. Anyone who has visited it will know what a special atmosphere it has and how much there is to see there.
“We have worked hard with the local community to ensure that Moseley Bog retains all the elements that make it special, but we also want to allow more people to visit it by making it more accessible for families with pushchairs and people with limited mobility.
“We are continuing our work to make visiting this place a wonderful experience as we create more high quality wildlife habitat, such as the new meadow and improved access and links to Sarehole Mill thanks to funding from Biffa.”
There are many other fantastic gems all over Birmingham and the Black Country for nature lovers. The Wildlife Trust are working in partnership with local authorities and other organisations through the Nature Improvement Area to ensure more places can be given the recognition they deserve as amazing places to visit in years to come.