AN environmental group is planning a £35,000 revamp of an Oswaldtwistle nature reserve which was damaged by vandals earlier this year.

Lancashire Wildlife Trust, which manages Foxhill Bank Nature Reserve with the help of volunteers, is applying for grants to fund the work, and this week was given £2,000 by Oswaldtwistle Area Council.

Some of that will be used to create a hard-standing area next to a lodge to replace a platform that was set on fire by vandals in August.

Phil Dykes, conservation officer, said: "The reserve as a whole needs regeneration.

"The vandalism of the platform was a one-off incident and has heightened the profile of the Foxhill Bank, but we already wanted to put a considerable amount of money in to improve the site."

The work will include improving access, replacing footpaths, building a new bridge and putting in new signs and bins. Phil hopes the grant from the area council, which was presented to him this week, will trigger funding from other organisations.

He said: "Getting this grant is brilliant. It gives us a really good start. It shows organisations that other people are willing to put money into the project.

"The grant will be used specifically to buy new metal waste bins, which are going to be placed at each entrance point, and routine maintenance work, part of which will remedy some of the problems associated with the fire."