A LOCAL project which teaches people how to improve Devon's hedgerows for the benefit of wildlife has won an environmental grant of £500.

IGER (Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research) at North Wyke was runner up in the natural environmental category of the Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants UK Programme.

The money will help the 'Enhancement of a Devon Hedgerow Project' and also go towards providing a science day for local schoolchildren in March where the theme will be, of course, Devon hedgerows.

Dr Bob Clements from IGER said a demonstration hedge had been created at the organisation's premises where people could come along and see what could be done to improve the environment for wildlife and save money for themselves.

'Cutting a hedge once a year is a fairly costly operation and it also gets rid of all the nuts and berries which only grow on wood which is at least two years old,' he said.

'By cutting the hedge less frequently the hedgerow provides the sort of food that wildlife thrive on.'

IGER has been working with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) on this project which they now hope to expand.

The award scheme, now in its 17th year, is a joint initiative between the Ford Motor Company and the Conservation Foundation, rewarding people from every corner of the UK dedicated to conserving their natural and cultural environment.

Over £25,000 was divided between the four categories — heritage, young persons, natural environment and conservation engineering.