The Mayor of Cambridge joined members of the community this week to officially unveil a new entrance archway at one of the city’s popular local nature reserves.

The wooden arch which now welcomes visitors to Logan’s Meadow Local Nature Reserve has been installed to help raise visibility of the recently-expanded wetlands at the reserve, which is managed by Cambridge City Council. 

Visitors can now go through the specially-commissioned oak archway – found at the foot of the Equiano Bridge connecting East Chesterton and Riverside – and down an accessible ramp to reach Logan’s Meadow.

The Mayor of Cambridge, Cllr Maria Cleminson, was joined by guests including members of the Friends of Logan’s Meadow volunteers’ group for a short ceremony officially opening the archway on Wednesday 8 July. 

The National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund provided funding for the new archway via its Community Fund, as part of the council’s DiversiTree project, which promotes the importance of diversity in boosting and strengthening the city’s urban forest.

In addition to the archway, the National Lottery funding has supported construction of a a ‘dead hedge’ at Logan’s Meadow to protect sensitive habitats, and tree guards at Grantchester Meadows to surround new willows and native black poplars being planted later this year.

Last year, the council and the Friends of Logan’s Meadow group worked with local residents and river restoration specialists to create new wetland habitats at the reserve, including open water, reedbeds, ditches and wet woodland. 

As the new wetlands become more established, they will provide ideal new conditions for species including water voles, reed warblers, grass snakes, banded demoiselle butterflies, as well as breeding fish and amphibians. Otters and water rail have already been spotted at the site.

The creation of the new wetlands at Logan’s Meadow was largely funded by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, the Green Recovery Challenge Fund (delivered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund), and S106 contributions from developers.

Logan’s Meadow Local Nature Reserve, which is situated alongside the River Cam in East Chesterton, just opposite the Museum of Technology, is open to visitors seven days a week. 

It is one of the council’s core sites for nature within the city, along with 12 other reserves which form part of the wider Cambridge Nature Network and play an important part in the council’s Biodiversity Strategy. Logan’s Meadow LNR provides an important connection between the river corridor, local communities and newly enhanced wetland habitat.

Cllr Martin Smart, Cabinet Member for Nature, Open Space and City Services, said: “The new signage supports the wider aims of the project by encouraging people to engage with nature and visit the site, to understand the importance of local habitats, and recognise the role of connected green and blue spaces in responding to climate change and biodiversity loss. I hope this new landmark will encourage even more people to visit Logan’s Meadow and to discover how our careful management of local nature reserves and other open spaces is really boosting biodiversity in the city.”