A FILM documenting the breathtaking beauty of Hilbre Island aims to save the popular spot from industrialised gas and oil production.

Andrew Schonfelder and Alastair Dicks, who run West Kirby-based production company Light and Time Productions, have recently completed a 15 minute film about the Wirral beauty spot’s history and wildlife with the help of Wirral Country Park.

The film is a labour of love that tries to capture the feeling of summer on the islands and follows the lives of the residents and season visitors, the beauty of the flora and the awe inspiring tides that cut Hilbre off from the mainland.

Andrew said: “We’ve both loved Hilbre Island since we were kids. It’s a wonderful little piece of wilderness just a short walk from home.

“There’s a feeling of timelessness there that we wanted to try and capture. The idea was to make a film that felt a bit like a treasured postcard from a past summer.”

Andrew added: “We made this film because, like many locals, we’ve loved the island since childhood and wanted to support the campaign against Underground Coal Gasification on the Dee.

Fears for the future of West Wirral coastal areas were first raised after the awarding of a licence for UCG exploratory operations in the estuary.

But while the permit covers 6,900 hectares of the waterway, Hilbre Islands are within the Dee Estuary Special Area of Conservation and Dee Estuary Special Protection Area – a network of protected sites stretching across Europe.

Cluff Natural Resources holds five licences – including for the Dee area – which are the first steps on the way towards permission for UCG operations across the UK.

The company has explained its main priorities are centred on other parts of the country, but said: “Wirral is still one of the licence areas, it’s not ruled out.”

Hilbre Island is home to a surprising range of wildlife and has become an important stopping off point for many migratory birds, as well as being a magical place of escape for local people.

The Hilbre film was originally conceives a five minute piece that would help Andrew and Alastair to interest broadcasters in funding a full length documentary about the Dee Estuary.

“We always hoped it might serve as a useful bit of PR for those who work to conserve the islands like Wirral Country Park, Hilbre Bird Observatory and the Friends of Hilbre,” said Andrew.

“I don’t quite know how it expanded from five minutes to 15 minutes, from a little summer project into almost a year’s work, but it did.

“The footage we were getting was great and on seeing some, a good friend of mine, music producer and composer Rob Kelly, said he’d like to write some music for it. That was that I guess.”

Music and image combine to transport the viewer to a place of peace, where the modern world seems like a distant memory.

The photography was done over the summer of 2014 by Andrew and Alastair.

With a strong emphasis on time-lapse and slow motion, the duo have attempted a more subjective approach to natural history filmmaking, taking inspiration from the poetry of Mary Oliver and the writing of Henry David Thoreau.

The script was written in close collaboration with Matt Thomas, naturalist, blogger and columnist for several local publications.

Narration is by John Curry, ex Liverpool Bay pilot, poet and author.

The score was written for a small folk inspired ensemble of guitar, mandolin, cello, clarinet, bass clarinet and electric bass, with additional sound design and textures from Bütone percussion instruments and an old analogue synth.

Scored to picture by Rob Kelly, the music was recorded and mixed at Strongroom Studios.

Clarinet and bass clarinet were performed by Rebecca Millward, with all other instruments played by Rob.

Light and Time has been going since 2006 and has worked on a number of projects, including on the BBC One series The Great British Year, broadcast in 2013.

You can watch the film here.