A PROJECT restore lowland heathland in West Devon to its former glory has been given a huge financial boost with a grant of nearly £45,000.

The Brentor Commons Association is celebrating after receiving funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to the tune of £44,500 towards the Brentor Commons Regeneration Project.

For the past 16 years, the association has been managing the commons at Bowden Down and Liddaton Down, near Brentor, for which it took on responsibility back in 2005.

The Heritage Fund grant is the first large income received by the association and will help to fund the project until June 2023. It will cover various activities both on and off Bowden and Liddaton Downs.

The grant will allow the association to commission comprehensive surveys of the habitat and its wildlife, providing information for a five-year management plan; continue with the ongoing work to improve the wildlife habitats, repair areas damaged by fly-tipping and to improve access; hold annual three-day events with artists and scientists and walks and talks about the commons and its wildlife; purchase equipment such as bat detectors, moth traps and capture cams and train volunteers and members to use the equipment.

A spokesperson for the association said: ‘The commons have a high biodiversity value with rare and endangered species existing on them. It is also an example of lowland heath, which is, in its own right, a nationally endangered habitat. Managing the land is done with a light touch so as not to impact adversely on the habitat and species. The new surveys will give us an up-to-date picture of the health of the different environments on both commons and enable us to produce a new five-year conservation management plan.

‘We will hold events involving local schools, people with differing needs and the general public and will open up the commons to more people who otherwise would remain unaware of the land and its high wildlife value.

‘This is a very exciting, if not a little daunting, time for Brentor Commons Association, who has managed the land with minimal financial resources for the past 16 years.’