EVESHAM-based Severn Waste Services has given £30,000 to help wildlife in south Worcestershire.

The money has been awarded to Worcestershire Wildlife Trust to help essential maintenance on three nature reserves: Boynes Coppice and Meadow and Nash’s Meadows near Upton-upon-Severn, and Tiddesley Wood on the edge of Pershore.

David Molloy, the trust’s conservation officer, said: “We’re delighted that Severn Waste Services has chosen to fund this really important work on three of our nature reserves.

“Some of the work that it’s funding may sound mundane but it’s absolutely crucial if we are to manage these beautiful sites in the best way for wildlife.

“Fencing at both Boynes and Nash’s, for example, will allow us to graze the meadows with cattle and sheep. The animals eat the coarser and quicker growing plants, which allows the more delicate wildflowers to thrive; come late spring the fields are awash with colour and alive with bees and butterflies.”

Boynes Coppice and Meadows are rich in wildflowers, such as green-winged orchid and adder’s-tongue fern, that support a wealth of insects. In order to maintain these species-rich meadows, the trust needs to replace old and damaged fencing.

Nash’s Meadows were given to the trust in 2017 and are part of an important network of sites in the area. The funding will pay for stock-proof fencing and water troughs to allow sheep to graze.

Tiddesley Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the funding will pay for resurfacing of the main track through the wood. New fencing is also being erected around the orchard to protect the important collection of fruit trees there.

Severn Waste Services is the waste management partner of Worcestershire County Council and Herefordshire Council.

Jim Haywood of the company said: “We are pleased that we are able to support the trust as it carries out such vital work.”