Projects in Bedfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex will provide training in woodland management, develop natural heritage skills for volunteers and improve the biodiversity of a community wildlife garden - reconnecting people of all ages with natural heritage on their doorsteps. Volunteers and local people will be at the heart of the projects.

The four projects being supported are:

• The Bedfordshire Old Warden Pear - Shuttleworth College
• Green Fingers - Green Light Trust
• Gardening for Wildlife Workshops - Trust Links Ltd.
• Reawakening the Ludham Dragon - Withy Arts

[quote=Robyn Llewellyn, Head of HLF East of England]“It’s thanks to National Lottery players that we can continue to raise awareness of such biodiversity and help local people protect it for future generations.”[/quote]

Robyn Llewellyn, Head of HLF East of England, said: “These four latest projects vary in size and location but what they all have in common is a celebration of the region’s wealth of beautiful woodlands, gardens and wildlife. It’s thanks to National Lottery players that we can continue to raise awareness of such biodiversity and help local people protect it for future generations.”

These grants are just the latest in HLF’s ongoing commitment to protecting and preserving natural heritage in the East of England. HLF grants have supported projects to help protect an amazing range of species across the region, from the water voles of Hertfordshire to the amphibious ‘dragons’ of the River Nene in Peterborough. We have funded 67 parks, equivalent in size to seven Luton Airports, as well as Landscape Partnership schemes covering an area five times the size of Thetford Forest.

Get involved

To find out more about HLF’s work with natural heritage follow us on Twitter and keep an eye on the hashtag #HLFNature.