Rugged peatlands above Saddleworth, ravaged by centuries of industrial pollution, intensive drainage and overgrazing, are now home to the first-ever nursery for moorland plants set up by the National Trust.

Essential native species like sphagnum moss are being cultivated and next month the public are invited to join two harvesting sessions, helping turn trays of home-grown cuttings into plug plants, ready to be planted out on the moor.

“Sphagnum moss is a wonder plant that can hold 20 times its own weight in water, and it’s vital to our moorland conservation work,” says Francesca Bray, one of the rangers who have worked with the Calderdale Sphagnum Project (funded by the National Lottery) to build the polytunnel nursery.