VISITORS to a North-East nature reserve will be invited to help create a new habitat for dragonflies.

The World Wetlands Day wetland challenge at Washington's Wildlife and Wetlands Trust (WWT) will be held from 10am-3pm on Sunday, February 1. There will be free refreshments for those taking part, while crafts activities will be staged for children from 1pm to 4pm.

The event forms part of World Wetlands Day, marking the date of the signing of the Convention of Wetlands in Iran in 1971, when governments across the world agreed to conserve and make the best possible use of their valuable wetland resources.

The WWT will be open free of charge, as well as on Monday, February 2, when wetlands programmes officer Dean Heward will give an illustrated talk on the ecology and behaviour of dragonflies, at 7.30pm.

Everyone visiting can enter a competition to win prizes including a picnic set and family membership to WWT giving them free access to all nine WWT centres nationwide for a year.