Volunteers and staff at The Leasowes are celebrating following a successful application for a £10,000 lottery grant.

The ‘Awards4all’ grant from The Big Lottery fund will finance work to The Leasowes’ Priory Pool, which has already seen significant improvements being made by the Friends of The Leasowes over the last four years.

The grant will enable the team to install an access platform for educational and recreational activities and will buy a number of new plants that will go in and around the pool to help improve diversity of its wildlife habitat.

A floating island for nesting wildfowl and sheltering fish will be installed and three protected water pens will be created to help establish aquatic plants such as water lilies and to provide space for spawning fish.

Dudley Council has also pledged to undertake tree pruning around the pool to increase light levels and path resurfacing from the car park to the pool to improve accessibility. Alan Lunt, Dudley Council’s strategic director for place, said:

“Dudley Council is delighted to be working with volunteers from the friends group to maintain and improve the beautiful green space of The Leasowes and this grant will make a huge difference to our educational and conservational activities at Priory Pool.”

Marianne Diller from the Friends of The Leasowes, added:

“We’re working with Dudley Council to make some really exciting improvements to the pool and this grant will help us to improve its biodiversity.”

For more information people can contact the nature reserve’s wardens on 01384 814642.