Marc Crehan a teacher from Frodsham, Cheshire has won the Green Expo Natural world’s resilience category of the Photographer of the Year for 2026.
His photo was taken within Frodsham marshes overlooking the River Weaver and Rock Savage power station. The power station is a combined-cycle gas-turbine plant opened in 1998. Current proposals by Cheshire West and Chester Council are for the construction of Frodsham Solar by Cubico Sustainable Investments on Frodsham Marshes. Frodsham Solar aims to provide approximately 100MW of electricity for distribution across Cheshire and Merseyside. The marsh also had wind turbines installed in 2008, which have provided financial support to maintain biodiversity.
Frodsham salt marshes lie between the River Weaver and the Mersey Estuary, serving as a critical habitat for biodiversity. Recognised internationally as a hotspot for wintering migratory birds and home to a variety of microclimates from reed beds, lagoons, open waters, and agricultural farmland.
The proposed plans for Frodsham Solar highlight the conflict between competing interests in discussions of climate change. Sustainable energy resources are essential to the global effort to tackle climate change and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. However, maintaining biodiversity hotspots is equally vital for providing natural resilience and adaptation to global environmental change. Scrutiny of the proposed Frodsham Solar plans has come from the Cheshire Wildlife Trust and Climate Action Frodsham over how the proposal might impact biodiversity across the Marshes.
In the photo, we see two cormorants utilising the infrastructure of the Rock Savage power station as nesting posts, giving them a vantage point over the River Weaver. Historically, the UK cormorant population was in decline, with approximately 2000 overwintering individuals in the 1980’s. Today, the over-wintering population has risen to approximately 65,000, and the RSPB considers their conservation status to be of least concern.
Marc said; “I wanted to evoke the idea of how nature can form a symbiotic relationship with human industry. I want to explore a future in which we take a systematic view of how our needs can be symbiotically linked to support our natural world, rather than making an either-or decision.”
Judges’ commented: “I love the gentle way in which nature is quietly carrying on exploring opportunities to grow despite the harsh interventions of human beings. It explores the relationship between biodiversity, industry and renewable energy as a great example of The Natural world’s resilience. The two cormorants are quite happy using a very industrial structure next to the River Weaver and power station. The back story is a good detailed explanation and a most sophisticated interpretation of resilience through adaptation rather than simply survival. An intelligent and nuanced photograph that moves beyond the obvious. The image successfully explores coexistence between wildlife and industry, presenting resilience as adaptation and partnership. It feels contemporary, relevant and thought-provoking.”