Maldon nature reserve devastated by fire reopens

Left: Ironworks Meadow was set ablaze in July last year. Right: One of the newly restored footpaths. (Credit: Chelmer Blackwater Reserve CIC)

AN AWARD-WINNING nature reserve in Maldon has reopened, less than a year after wildlife habitats were "obliterated" in a devastating blaze.

Firefighters from Maldon and across Essex battled the flames at the Ironworks Meadow Nature Reserve on July 15 last year, where approximately 10,000 square metres of greenspace was engulfed in flames.

Work to replace the damaged footpaths was completed last week. A new pathway has also been added, linking to the newly-cleared pond at the centre of the reserve and steps to the path crossing between the River Chelmer and the canal.

The repair work was largely funded by donations from the public in a fundraising appeal following the fire. A GoFundMe set up to help restore the boardwalks and walkways which were destroyed raised £9,615.

Patrick Ellum, a director of the Chelmer Blackwater Reserve Community Interest Company, said: “This is a double success for action by local citizens: firstly, in preserving this site from development and secondly in responding so generously following the fire last year.”

Scorched earth - a fire service drone shot captured the scale of the devastation. (Credit: ECFRS)

Additional funding for the work was provided by Maldon District Council’s Where Quality of Life Matters Community Fund and Tesco Stronger Starts.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said it believed the blaze was started deliberately, with reserve volunteers branding it “a devastating act of vandalism”.

Ironworks Meadow opened in July 2023, following the formation of the Chelmer Blackwater Reserve Community Interest Company. Since then, the group has worked to create a habitat for wildlife at the greenspace near Maldon’s Tesco store.

Bordered by the River Chelmer and the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation, the reserve has five bio-diverse habitat areas. It is easily accessible from Maldon and Heybridge.