You may be aware that the city council is planning to plant a brand-new 200-acre community woodland just to the west of York, between Knapton and Harewood Whin.

But how much do you know about the wonderful community nature reserve that has been flourishing just to the east of the city centre for the best part of 30 years?

We’re talking about St Nicholas Fields, of course. Throughout the Victorian period, it was a brickworks. When these closed, the York corporation turned the site into a rubbish tip. This closed in 1974. Nature began to creep back in, and in 1988 the York Natural Environment Trust (YNET) was formed to look at turning St Nicholas Fields into a nature reserve. It was officially designated as a reserve in 2004, and today it is a thriving and much-loved green space - a little oasis of nature - right in the heart of York.

That’s got to be worth celebrating. Here are a few photos of the reserve from down the years from our archive...