The Calderdale Sphagnum Project, a four-year venture funded by the National Lottery, is working to reintroduce sphagnum moss to the region’s uplands in an effort to reduce flood risks, combat climate change, and reconnect the local community with its moorland heritage.
Spearheaded by Gill Wrigley, Calderdale Council’s Sphagnum Project Officer, the project is based out of Manor Heath Park in Halifax. Inside a humble polytunnel, trays of vibrant green moss are painstakingly propagated by volunteers ready for future planting.
“Sphagnum moss used to dominate the hillsides of Calderdale and the South Pennines until about 250 years ago,” Wrigley explains. “It can hold up to 20 times its weight in water, acting like a massive sponge.
“That sponge used to slow the flow of rainwater into the valleys below. But now, without it, rain rushes down steep hillsides into towns and homes, causing devastating floods.”
Calderdale has borne the brunt of this ecological loss. In the winter of 2019-20 alone, 37% of flooded homes in England were located in the borough. For those living in flood-prone communities like Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd, the consequences are deeply personal.
Toby Dyter, a 49-year-old volunteer from Mytholmroyd, knows this all too well. “The Hebden Bridge charity shop I worked for was ruined by the 2020 flood and never reopened,” he says. “I spent weeks helping clear it out.”
Having witnessed firsthand the destruction of multiple floods – in 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020 – Dyter now dedicates time to sphagnum propagation as his way of fighting back.
“Sphagnum is my small way of trying to do something about climate change and flooding,” he says.
“More personally, I’m disabled – I have MS and have previously been in a wheelchair – and my employment prospects aren't brilliant. Volunteering here gives me a sense of contribution. I feel part of something.”
For Gill, Toby’s story captures the essence of the project’s broader mission. “One of the key aims is to use sphagnum moss as a conversation starter about the climate emergency,” she says.
“Volunteers come for many reasons – to connect with nature, to combat climate anxiety, or, like Toby, because they’ve been directly affected by flooding. This is about water resilience, ecological restoration, and community empowerment.”
The project has also uncovered practical lessons about how to grow sphagnum effectively. Tap water, for instance, is toxic to the moss due to chlorine, and most commercial composts are too rich in nutrients. After much experimentation, the team now uses a specific peat-free compost and relies on rainwater for irrigation.
And while the nursery in Halifax may appear small, its impact – like its moss – is already spreading. Inspired by Calderdale’s success, other community-led sphagnum nurseries have emerged across the UK, including in Blackburn and at Marsden Moor.
Looking ahead, Wrigley and her team hope to secure funding to extend the project. This next phase would not only continue sphagnum cultivation but also introduce other climate-critical plants and install demonstration rain gardens to educate the public about water security.
“The moorlands aren’t just pretty landscapes,” says Wrigley. “They’re vital carbon stores. Peat is made from pickled plant matter, preserved by sphagnum moss. If the moss is gone and the moors are dry, that carbon gets released into the atmosphere. Restoring sphagnum halts that release and restarts the carbon capture process.”
At a time when the UK’s Climate Change Committee is warning that climate change is making extreme weather more likely and the country is not prepared, Calderdale’s moss nursery represents more than just ecological restoration. It’s a grassroots solution to a global crisis – and a beacon of resilience for a community fighting back, one tray of moss at a time.