CO-OP workers spent a day creating habitats for pollinators and did dry-stone walling at a wildlife corridor.

Working with Bournmoor Conservation Group - which is dedicated to enhancing the environment at a former colliery and landfill site at Woodstone Village, Fence Houses - an eight-strong team from The Co-operative’s Distribution Centre in Chester-le-Street got stuck in as part of the company’s employee volunteering scheme.

They removed harmful ragwort, prepared and built dry-stone walls – including homes for hedgehogs and weasels – and, installed habitats and planted flowers and shrubs to encourage all types of pollinators.

Co-op service and scheduling manager Antony Jowsey said: “This really has been a team-building day with a difference - to make a contribution like this to the wildlife and environment in our local community has been extremely rewarding.”

Paul Griffin, of Bournmoor Conservation Group, said: “We are absolutely delighted, our work relies so much on the help and generosity of volunteers as we aim to conserve and enhance the wildlife in what was once a heavily- industrialised area.

“A team of volunteers like this makes a huge difference and helps us to achieve much more than we could achieve on our own.

“We would very much like to thank The Co-operative for helping us with our work to continue developing and improving this vital wildlife corridor.”