The Trust has received £23,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the William Grant Foundation to help people in Ayrshire experience and care for nature in their neighbourhood.

The Trust will use the funding to organise volunteering sessions for hundreds of people, including school pupils, across 14 wildlife reserves in the region.

Volunteers will be able to take part in conservation work such as clearing Himalayan balsam, planting native trees and sowing wildflowers. There will also be a series of guided walks, as well as visits to local schools to bring nature into the classroom.

Our Ayrshire Community Engagement Officer Harry Richards said: “Thanks to this fantastic support from National Lottery players and the William Grant Foundation we will be able to show hundreds of people in Ayrshire the exciting range of wildlife that can be found on their doorstep, as well as give them a chance to do something to help.”

Nick Addington, Chief Executive, William Grant Foundation, said: “Evidence shows that getting out and engaging with nature is good for people’s health and well-being so we’re delighted to support the Trust’s efforts to help people to do that, whilst also protecting the wonderful natural environment in the South West of Scotland.”

The Scottish Wildlife Trust looks after a total of 15 wildlife reserves in Ayrshire including green spaces in and around Irvine and Kilwinning. These reserves cover a surprisingly large mixture of different types of habitat, from stands of veteran trees to ponds and flower-rich meadows.