CHURCHYARDS in Richmond and Masham have been recognised as among the best in North Yorkshire for wildlife.

The grounds of the two parish churches - both dedicated to St Mary - are teeming with flora and fauna, thanks to the hard work of volunteers.

Both were named in the Living Churchyard awards, organised by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, announced at Bishopthorpe Palace, York, at the weekend.

Worshippers at the Richmond church were praised for their long-term plan to manage the many trees and create a hidden area of brambles and nettles to encourage butterflies.

Canon Richard Cooper, rector, said the 800-year-old churchyard was a haven for flora, small mammals, birds and insects.

"We have a lot of trees and have drawn up a long-term management plan for them," he said. "We have some very good oak and beech but also a lot of conifers, which were planted a century ago and are coming to the end of their natural life."

He said help for the project had been received from the Council for the Protection of Rural England after parishioner Joan Plowman submitted a grant bid.

"The CPRE has been very helpful in giving us a grant towards management of the churchyard, particularly the trees," said Canon Cooper. "We had a working party to do some of the clearing and sorting out and everyone worked very hard."

The awards panel also praised the dedication of volunteers at Masham, who kept the churchyard tidy but not "manicured."

There are plans to plant native species trees and install nesting boxes, including one specially to attract owls, in the spring.

The Rev David Cleeves, vicar of Masham, said people had been invited to sponsor a bird box or a tree.

"We have had no grant aid and, if it wasn't for the hard work and dedication of the volunteers, none of this would have been possible," he said. "We have a lot of people who work extremely hard to keep the churchyard looking very attractive."

Elizabeth Hardcastle, Yorkshire's Living Churchyards officer, said a bumper crop of entries had been received this year.

"We saw great knowledge of plants and animals and tremendous enthusiasm for protecting wildlife on these important sites," she said.

"This competition has shown how hard people work on their churchyards right across the county and how much they achieve."

Kevin Rodgers, Yorkshire regional community relations manager for npower, which sponsors the awards, said the scheme aimed to encourage people to get involved in improving and preserving the environment.

"These awards were a wonderful way to recognise the best practical work throughout the county and we were delighted with the vast amount of entries we received and the high standard of all of them," he said