Nature reserve gets lottery cash

A grant of nearly £1m has been awarded to improve a nature reserve in north Nottinghamshire.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £939,500 to Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust to transform the Idle Valley which lies to the west of Retford.

The money will be spent on turning the valley into a wetland nature reserve and will include the purchase of 219 hectares of disused gravel pits.

Safe wildlife havens will also be created at the site.

Ambitious project

Animals living on the reserve include bats, barn owls, water voles and a wide range of breeding wetland birds.

As part of the work on the site, the trust will develop a a series of fully accessible pathways around the reserve so the public can visit without disturbing or damaging the wildlife.

John Everitt, chief executive of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said: "This project shows the level of ambition of the trust to work at a landscape-scale for the wildlife of the county.

"The Idle Valley project will provide a living landscape to help our wildlife adapt to the challenges of climate change, for people to enjoy and to support learning and skills in the area."