THE Grafham Wildlife and Conservation Group has won an award for the second year running and has also been nominated for a national Green Hero award. The group looks after 12 woodlands around Grafham Water and plans to take on another five in the next yea

THE Grafham Wildlife and Conservation Group has won an award for the second year running and has also been nominated for a national Green Hero award.

The group looks after 12 woodlands around Grafham Water and plans to take on another five in the next year.

It also runs training courses in woodland skills and crafts, leads guided walks for the public and arranges history displays.

The awards are given out by British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), which has Sir David Attenborough as vice-president. They are designed to recognise the work of volunteers looking after green spaces.

The Grafham group has won the East of England regional section for the second year running and will compete for the national title in London later this month.

The group was set up by Sam Malt, a former warden at Brampton Wood, who has a smallholding in Grafham.

The 12 members of the group work two Sundays a month, and are sometimes joined by people on community service and Duke of Edinburgh Award volunteers.

The group has received funding from the National Lottery for its history projects but members pay their own day-to-day expenses.

"We use traditional skills to a high standard," Mr Malt said.

Last year, more than 11,000 environmental conservation projects were nominated across the UK.

INFORMATION: To contact Grafham Water Wildlife and Conservation Group, join the walks, the courses or help to manage the woodlands, contact Sam Malt on 01480 810844 or 01480 811654.