WM Long Reach News and Latest Events

News

We believe that innovation and success are borne out of great relationships and working together in an open, honest and transparent manner. We hope that by sharing our news we will develop and grow our relationship with you and offer added value by sharing our experience and learning.

Our news is of our people, our high-profile projects and our professional affiliations. We would also love to interact with you through our facebook pages and twitter. We are particularly proud of the images of our projects, we hope you enjoy them too.

31 August 2022

Shortlisted for ICE Peoples Choice Award 2022

This international competition showcases the best civil engineers and recognises projects that have a positive impact on local economies and communities, while also highlighting the positive benefits civil engineering brings to people’s daily lives and society at large. Members of the public are invited to vote online via the ICE website for their favourite project. The public vote opens at 10am on Tuesday 6 September for six weeks, closing at 5pm on Tuesday, 18 October. People's Choice Award voting | Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) The BogLIFE project was designed to restore Britain’s third largest lowland raised bog within the Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserves. This habitat stores more than 10 times the carbon of the equivalent rainforest area, with a recent university study confirming that the Marches Mosses contain over a million tonnes. The project has been delivered by WM Longreach, working with Natural England, Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Brian Killingworth, WSP and RAB Consultants. Our Director Damian McGettrick was delighted at the announcement: “We are very proud to have been involved in this forward-thinking project making a massive contribution to carbon reduction and the future wellbeing of our local region both environmentally and economically.” A UK-first for bog edge habitat restoration on this scale, the peatland landscape at multiple locations required reverse engineering, whilst sensitively designing and considering the ecology, wildlife, and local communities. "Healthy peat bogs are vitally important for both nature recovery and tackling climate change. Its important that where we carry out restoration schemes they are carefully designed and sensitively undertaken in consultation with the local community," said Robert Duff BogLIFE Project Manager. This is, “a great achievement for the Marches Mosses BogLIFE project to be shortlisted in the ICE People’s Choice Award. The standard of this competition was very high, and I am delighted that our region is being represented by this fantastic scheme and the great project team behind it. I do hope the local community gets behind this fantastic project and votes for it,” commented the ICE Midlands Regional Director, Jo Barnett.

The Marches Mosses BogLIFE project has been nominated for the International Institution of Civil Engineers’ 2022 People’s Choice Award and now needs public vote!

https://www.ice.org.uk/what-is-civil-engineering/what-do-civil-engineers-do/marches-mosses-boglife-project/

08 July 2022

Making Ground with Shropshire Wildlife Trust

For Marches Mosses BogLIFE stakeholders Shropshire Wildlife Trust, as well as the goal to restore the rare lowland bog habitat, a core aim of the project was to engage and give new audiences access to nature. WM Longreach have been adding post and rail fencing, a disabled access gate and timber edged, self-binding gravel access paths to make this possible for the new Bird Hide at Morris Bridge Fields.

Important ground works and access paths were completed for the new Bird Hide at Morris Bridge Fields, forming a key part of the Marches Mosses BogLIFE project.

20 June 2022

Natural Flood Management on River Corve

With the River Corve of key importance to the local community and haven for wildlife and ecology, these works required a sensitive approach to minimise the impact on the local environment and careful definition of the working area to reduce disruption of the public footways. The reprofiling enhanced the low flow capacity of the river and will reduce siltation across the channel. Large woody material was secured at multiple locations to reduce the flow during the height of any floods. Natural flood management aims to reduce the downstream maximum water height of a flood (the flood peak) or to delay the arrival of the flood peak downstream, increasing the time available to prepare for floods. A backwater and flood bunds were also created to further enhance flood protection.

Reprofiling works, and natural flood management carried out as part of the ‘slow the flow’ scheme with Shropshire Wildlife Trust.

06 May 2022

Sustainability Award Winners

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) named the work at Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses and Wem Moss, in north Shropshire, project of the year at its 2022 West Midlands Awards this month. It had already picked up the sustainability award before being chosen from the other category winners to take home the overall crown. Called the 'Marches Mosses BogLIFE Project', it has been delivered by WM Longreach, working with Natural England, Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Brian Killingworth, WSP and RAB Consultants. The ICE said that, after hundreds of years of exploitation, no-one in the UK had ever tried to restore bog edge habitat on this scale.

Sustainability Award Winners and Project of the Year at ICE West Midlands Awards

22 April 2022

Newt Pond Restoration

As part of the Telford & Wrekin Council’s pioneering scheme to protect a declining species of newt across the borough WM Longreach have been involved with pond restoration at Beeches Local Nature Reserve (LNR). The Batemag Spider excavator was able to work within the pond removing silt and vegetation to be placed locally. Access was restricted and the machine with its wide tyres minimised disturbance to the ground. The council hopes the new scheme will give more protection to great crested newts, protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981, without holding up building developments. This will be “helping developers build back better and greener,” said a Telford Councillor.

WM Longreach support Telford & Wrekin Council's pioneering scheme to protect declining newt species.

11 March 2022

Restoration of Former Canal at Nature Reserve

Working with Telford & Wrekin council as part of the Great Crested Newt Framework dredging was required to restore this former canal at local Dothill Nature Reserve. The sensitive site, known to support the protected species required sensitive working and overcoming tricky access with the site surrounded by vegetation. A specialist ‘spider’ excavator with independent legs and floatation tyres was used, minimising tree removal required, enabling the negotiation of obstacles to enter the canal and reducing the impact on the canal bed. With close liaison with the ecologist and Environment Agency throughout this approach allowed the necessary dredging and construction of the hibernacula to take place with the least impact to the environment.

Specialist 'spider' excavator overcame tricky access in Dothill Canal Restoration

25 February 2022

Historic Pool Revived

The Pool at Berrington Hall located in grounds designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown is being dredged as part of a management plan to restore the pool, with silt removed and inflow pipes improved to enhance the water quality and the ecology. With the historical nature of the site, maintaining as much public access as possible the desilting works are being carried out in a sensitive and effective way, minimising the impact on the local environment. To maintain some water for wildlife in the lake, early access was made using a lighter low ground pressure machine and ‘grips’ excavated to assist with water drain off and creation of a bypass channel to help manage any water flows. Vegetation removal, increasing water depths and the coir roll bank repairs will all make a positive impact on the lakes health and future biodiversity.

Working with National Trust to restore Berrington Hall Pool

Featured in BBC News

21 January 2022

Restoring Newton Park Lakes

These dredging works being undertaken on the Upper Pool at Newton Park to remove silt and vegetation over multiple phases will improve water quality and enhance the hydrology of the area. The scope of the works includes dredging of upper lake areas on this heritage site and the movement of silt to the upper field. Environmental protection measures have been adopted throughout, working closely with all stakeholders to mitigate the effect of operations on the ecological and environmental aspects of the site. Detailed planning and flexibility in the selection of specialist equipment to counter challenges of bad weather have been key to maintaining programme including the use of tracked dumpers, low ground pressure long reach and amphibious excavators.

Dredging progresses well on Upper Pool restoration using specialist machinery.

More...

16 December 2021

Winner of ICE Community Engagement Award

WM Longreach and the Regency Restoration Project won the ICE Wales Cymru Award for Community Engagement this month.

04 November 2021

Winner of International Award

WM Longreach are celebrating their win of the Institution of Civil Engineers ‘People’s Choice Award 2021’, for the National Botanic Garden of Wales Regency Restoration.

17 October 2021

National Trust Eco-friendly Car Park

Works commenced this month at Wightwick Manor on the overflow car park with an eco-friendly and sustainable design, continuing from previous works completed for the National Trust at that site.

13 September 2021

Back on #BogLIFE

WM Longreach are working again with Shropshire Wildlife Trust for Natural England on Marches Mosses as part of the #BogLIFE project. This time at Whixall Moss on new drainage, attenuation ponds and earth bunds with plastic piling as part of flood mitigation and improving the health of this valuable lowland raised bog.

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