A SOMERSET Wildlife Trust nature reserve north of Wellington has been improved for wildlife and people, thanks to cash from Wessex Water.

Rewe Mead sits on the banks of the River Tone and has remnants of the Grand Western Canal running through its heart.

Now a £2,500 grant from Wessex Water’s biodiversity funding programme has seen crossings over the former canal rebuilt and stock-proof fencing along the river.

Further improvement work will be carried out on the conservation charity’s 13 acre site near Langford Budville during the winter, including hedge laying and fencing.

Trust’s West Somerset and Blackdowns Senior Reserves manager, David Northcote-Wright: "These kinds of small grants are absolutely invaluable, because nature reserves like Rewe Mead don’t need huge sums of money spending on them.

"This funding from Wessex Water has enabled us to stop the Devon Red cattle that graze here from reaching the river – which means they’re safer and their waste won’t be enriching the water course – and it has dramatically improved access for visitors, as well as making the site easier for me and my team to manage.

"It’s work that doesn’t take long, or cost a huge amount, but it will last at least ten years."

The nature reserve is a floodplain meadow, which is at its best in the spring, when rare orchids are in bloom and orange tip butterflies feed on cuckooflower.

Dave Jones, a regulatory scientist at Wessex Water, said: "We’re delighted that our Partners Programme Small Grants Scheme was able to support this project.

"Not only will the work benefit wildlife and the reserve in the long term but it will also help to reduce potential pollution to the river. "Our Small Grants Scheme was set up to fund just this type of work and we hope that visitors to the reserve will enjoy the improvements."

To learn more about Somerset Wildlife Trust, become a member of the charity, or make a donation, visit somersetwildlife.org