“I’ve always been passionate about wildlife” Lewis Nelson on becoming Wildlife Champion

This week councilor Lewis Nelson was appointed Wildlife Champion of Salford.

We spoke to him about what impact he thought this would have on Salford’s green spaces and the plants and animals that use this as their home.

Mr. Nelson said: “We want to preserve the natural habitats that cover the Salford area as well as creating new ones.”

He added: “It would be great to get the local residents involved and let them have their say and see what changes can be made.”

We would like to send our best wishes to Councillor LEWIS NELSON for becoming Salford City Councils first ever WILDLIFE Champion. And our deepest appreciation to Salford Mayor PAUL DENNETT for making this happen.@Salford_Lewis @salford_mayor @SalfordWildlife pic.twitter.com/w1Fx1aQwEh

— Salford Volunteer Rangers (@SalfordVRangers) October 7, 2020

Mr. Nelson stated that he has always been incredibly passionate about wildlife and the world around him. Saying: “I’m really excited to see what I can do in this role.”

Despite Salford’s reputation as being a very industrial and urban city, Mr. Nelson informed us that thirty percent of the city is actually made up of natural spaces.

Mr. Nelson went onto point out the numerous waterways that run through the city. Notably the Manchester Canal and the River Irwell.

Both of which are abundant with wildlife and provide spaces for the animals of Salford to live.

Some of the species prominent in these areas include herons and geese as well as kingfishers although these will be a little harder to spot.

Mr. Nelson went onto say that he is looking forward to making “real tangible changes” to the local area.

He added: “It’s good to see that Salford City Council is starting to take a serious initiative about the local wildlife.”

We asked Mr. Nelson which areas of the city he will be focusing on and he stated that areas such as Clifton Park and Drinkwater Park will be good areas for development.

But stated that it would be good to make some of the more inner-city areas more habitable for the city’s nature. Saying: “I want to develop the urban oasis.”