CONSERVATION activities to encourage people with disabilities to enjoy the great outdoors are being rolled out across North Yorkshire.

The Nature Force groups, run by Open Country and funded by a grant from Yorkshire Water, will include a range of activities including tree planting, path laying, litter picking, wildlife surveying and much more.

Open Country will be working with a range of environmental organisations to run the outdoor activities to protect and improve wildlife habitats and to encourage more people to access the countryside.

It is expected the programme will lead to the planting of more than 3,000 trees, improve at least 1,000m of public footpath and the installation of 40 nest boxes.

Ben Aston, biodiversity specialist at Yorkshire Water, said: “Through our experience managing watercourses in Yorkshire we understand how important conservation is for improving local environments and boosting biodiversity."

Open Country was founded in Harrogate in 1990 and now has 135 volunteers, and around 300 disabled members.

 

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