A THREE-YEAR project to improve school grounds for wildlife and so develop them as an educational resource has been given a boost by Cumbria County Council.

The authority's Local Agenda 21 Fund has made a grant of £5,000 to Cumbria Wildlife Trust for its Grounds for Wildlife' scheme. The project will work with about 40 primary and five secondary schools, and parents, teachers, children and other community organisations will be involved.

Coun Lawson Short, county council cabinet member with responsibility for Environmental issues, said: "There are currently no other providers in Cumbria offering this sort of activity. This is a fantastic project, which will cost an estimated £146,000 during its three-year lifespan, and the council is delighted to be giving its support. As well as creating new and important habitats for wildlife, the scheme will provide a superb educational resource not only for the schools, but the wider community.

"Each school will be able to contribute its ideas on how its grounds should be developed and used. These ideas will then be turned into a grounds map which will detail the changes required. Existing wildlife friendly features will be retained and incorporated into the new design."

The scheme will be accredited by Learning through Landscapes, the national school grounds charity. Work to be carried out will link in with the national curriculum and could include composting areas, vegetable gardens, the introduction of bird feeders and the planting of native trees.

Once work is complete, Cumbria Wildlife Trust will put on a series of themed outdoor workshops to illustrate how people interact and impact on the natural environment.