WHEN a fly-tipping haven was featured on BBC Look North a group of disheartened locals committed themselves to cleaning up their community – and after removing 40 skips of rubbish they’ve managed to build a much-loved public space.

Locals were horrified to see their beloved village of Goldthorpe be brought into disrepute by careless and extreme littering at a disused railway cutting off Barnsley Road.

The site had become a health hazard and an eyesore, spurring Dearne Area Council manager Claire Dawson to bring together a group of volunteers who could clear it out.

Eight years of tireless work later and the area has been completely transformed, as rubbish has been cleared out to make the site a thriving green space that has become a haven for wildlife.

Volunteer Michael Bunting told the Chronicle: “Unfortunately people were using this railway cutting as a local tip, so therefore we had 20 years’ worth of rubbish.

“At that time Claire had joined the council and she’d decided this wasn’t good enough for Goldthorpe and she was going to change it.

“So she got groups of people together, she managed to get funders involved and lots of us came along to help – it was an absolute stinking mess, you couldn’t imagine what it was like.”

Thanks to the help of volunteers and Network Rail, the railway cutting now features an orchard, fruit and vegetable growing areas, seasonal plantings, habitats for insects and other wildlife and a natural pond.

The Goldthorpe Railway Embankment Group also host regular community events, inviting schools, youth groups and groups for adults with special educational needs to the site to enjoy the nature.

“It’s turned from an old railway track into like a wildlife reserve,” Michael added.

“It’s a place where people can come and enjoy nature – it’s quite an entirely different area from what it used to be, it’s quite amazing now.

“So from a fly-tipped, terrible environment we’ve turned it into a community space and something that’s really nice for people to come in and enjoy.

“Now we’ve been invited to town hall to receive a Yorkshire in Bloom Platinum Award – so it’s really gone from one extreme to another.

“All the team that work there are extremely proud.”