Great £8.9m boost

A PROJECT that aims to restore more than 3,000 hectares of wetland between Huntingdon and Peterborough has received a massive £8.9million grant - the biggest ever awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund in the UK.

The news was announced this morning (Wednesday) at Woodwalton Fen Nature Reserve in Ramsey Heights, which forms part of the Great Fen Project where the money will be spent. The grant will enable the Wildlife Trust to buy land in Cambridgeshire to restore to wetland.

President of the Great Fen Project - actor, comedian, director and author Stephen Fry - said he was "thrilled" by the news.

"The Heritage Lottery Fund has recognised the enormous value of the Great Fen Project and its unique, pioneering approach to this precious, delicate and beautiful landscape."

When complete, the Great Fen Project will be one of the largest restoration efforts in Europe. It aims to restore fenland habitats by joining Woodwalton Fen National Nature Reserve with Holme Fen National Nature Reserve.

By extending and joining the two reserves, the Great Fen Project will aim to secure the future of special habitats and species.

The investment takes HLF's funding total in the east of England to a massive £250million over the past 12 years. Robyn Llewellyn, HLF manager in the east of England said: "This is the Heritage Lottery Fund's largest grant ever to an environmental project in England and the perfect way to mark our quarter billion funding milestone in the region. As one of the UK's major funders of natural heritage, we are particularly committed to supporting projects like Great Fen, which will not only restore and conserve an important stretch of land but also enable local people to be actively involved in its future maintenance."

INFORMATION: To find out more about the Great Fen Project visit www.greatfen.org.uk or to find out more about the work of the Heritage Lottery Fund visit www.hlf.org.uk