Leicester and Rutland Wildlife Trust – supported by Oadby and Wigston Borough Council – will be giving a group of 13 to19 year olds the chance to get involved in a wide range of tasks to give them first hand experience of the natural world.

Among these will be surveying for badgers, designing and building a bird feeding station plus a hide for visitors to view the birds unseen, reed bed management and scrub clearance, building bat boxes, and investigating pond wildlife.

The young people will also research the history of local wildlife sites, look at conservation management methods, design and create an audio trail, and build their own natural sculptures. They will produce a photographic record of the Brocks Hill environment centre and country park, and the Lucas Marsh local nature reserve as the project progresses in both locations. This will form a photographic exhibition when the work comes to an end in a year’s time.

Involvement in the project will provide the young people with a range of new skills and will also gain them accreditation for the Duke of Edinburgh’s and John Muir award schemes. 

The grant award was made under the HLF’s Young Roots programme. Head of Heritage Lottery Fund East Midlands, Emma Sayer, said: “We are very pleased to support this project which will introduce the young people to biodiversity and nature conservation in practical and engaging ways.”

Simon Bentley, Director of the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, said: “We are delighted with the grant award from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which will enable us to launch an exciting project to engage young people with their local natural heritage in Oadby and Wigston and provide new volunteering opportunities”.

Further information

Roland Smith, Communications Manager, Heritage Lottery Fund on 020 7591 6047 / 07713 486 420 / rolands@hlf.org.uk.

Simon Bentley, Director, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, on 0116 272 8852.