Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and the Land Trust, who own the site, are incredibly disappointed at the arson incident over the weekend.

The decking  area, which overlooks one of the ponds, was completely destroyed in the incident,. This decking was built completely by volunteers and it was provided great access to the water, allowing visitors to watch the ducks and little ducklings that call the pond home. It will cost a total of £15,000 to replace it.

One of our volunteers, Steph Duffy,  has set up a fundraiser to raise the funds for the work said: "This is such a tragedy and it’s so sad that this part of the reserve will not be accessible for a considerable amount of time now.

“It really is such a beautiful place, so I am hoping to raise money to donate to the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, so we can buy replacement decking and rebuild the pathway, allowing visitors to enjoy this area of the reserve once more.”

The Avenue is a popular nature reserve, at Mill Lane, Wingerworth, attracts a wide range of birds, including tufted duck, wigeon, snipe and little grebe as well as skylarks, yellowhammer and nesting warblers. Water voles, great crested newts and dragonflies have also made their homes there.

To contribute to the fundraiser, click here.