The Intact Centre in Ingol has been awarded £50,000 to run a 12 month natural heritage volunteering project.

The project will focus on developing Dob Croft, Intact’s five-acre nature reserve. The aim is to give 70 volunteers the chance to learn new skills and cultivate their passion for nature.

Intact, on Whitby Avenue, secured the £50,000 grant through The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The main reason for the award is to help Intact preserve the great crested newt, which is an endangered species – but other wildlife including bats, bees and hedgehogs will also benefit.

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Project Manager Helen Dixon said: “The project will enable local people to volunteer in nature.

“There will be a wide range of fun and inclusive activities, such as beekeeping, land management, willow weaving, surveying bats, encouraging birds back on the site, and providing a safe place for hedgehogs. We have opportunities for children and families to get involved too.

“Volunteers will help us to record our findings, take photos, keep a blog, learn new skills such as woodcrafts for making bird feeders, bat boxes and benches, and make willow domes as hides where people can learn to unwind in nature.”

Denise Hartley MBE, chief executive at Intact, said: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players. We are confident the project will support volunteers to be active citizens with pride in their natural heritage.”

To get involved in the Dob Croft project contact Intact or complete this volunteering form.

The Intact Centre has been supporting the local community for 25 years. Activities include employability, IT, health, holistic therapies, advice and guidance, food crisis support, a daytime café, NHS smoking services, podiatry, and space for external groups to hire and meet. Find out more via the Intact website.

Will you be volunteering at Dob Croft? Let us know in the comments below.