THE rich history of the River Skerne will be showcased with a new preservation project.

The Durham Wildlife Trust has been awarded a development grant of £223,100 by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Bright Water Landscape Partnership.

It will be used to develop a detailed action plan to preserve and enhance the landscape of the catchment of the River Skerne.

Darlington Borough Council has welcomed the recent news that funding has been granted for the project.

If successfully delivered, it will lead to more than £2.6m of further funding from HLF and a further £500,000 from other sources.

The Bright Water Landscape Partnership covers 200sqkm within lowland County Durham and Darlington, focusing on the River Skerne from Hurworth Burn reservoir in East Durham to South Park in Darlington.

The project area includes Great Aycliffe, Sedgefield, Bishop Middleham, Fishburn, Heighington, Brafferton, Barmpton and Darlington.

The project will develop initiatives to conserve natural habitats and protect important industrial and agricultural sites, and provide educational opportunities for the public, as part of schemes that will bring together everyone from ecologists and historians to artists.

The bid was brought together by Durham Wildlife Trust and the Three Rivers Local Nature Partnership, with staff from both organisations working on the proposal, supported by a number of other organisations, including Darlington Borough Council.

Rob George, Darlington Borough Council’s parks and countryside development manager, said: "The project will raise the profile of the river Skerne, helping people rediscover the river’s rich heritage as well as the part it played in the early years of putting Darlington on the map, before the railways took over the mantle."