A GRANT of £10,000 has been awarded to preserve a village woodland.

The LionMouth Rural Centre has been awarded funding from the Woodland Trust to manage and maintain Broadgate Woods, near its Esh Winning base on the edge of Durham.

The centre, which supports people with mild mental, physical or social difficulties, plans to use the woods which are home to deer, otter and kingfishers for practical and educational training.

Brigid Press, project manager at LionMouth Rural Centre, said: “We are all so excited about the woodland project.

“It will not only enhance the practical, hands on opportunities that our day-service clients will get at the centre, but also integrate the wider community and at the same time benefit our immediate rural surroundings.”

The Woodland Trust launched a pilot project in the spring as part of a £1.25m partnership with Nationwide Building Society to provide funding for communities to either establish new groups or help existing groups take greater care of a local wood.

The Trust is offering start-up grants of £1,000 to new groups in the region, with well-established groups eligible for grants of up to £10,000.

Paul Mosley of the Woodland Trust said: “We’re delighted with the response to our scheme as people have shown a real appetite for making use of their local woods.

“Anyone wishing to follow in the footsteps of LionMouth can apply for a grant as funds are still available.”

The charity will also hold training events to help communities who want to manage or acquire an area of woodland.