Severn Trent has funding available for communities who want to boost nature across the region.

The water and waste company is inviting individual land managers, community groups and businesses to come forward for funding for projects to improve nature in the local environment.

This offer is available for a limited time to help support nature projects across the region that may have been put on hold because of the cost-of-living crisis.

The scale of each project must be over one acre (that’s roughly half the size of a rugby pitch) and must be completed by Friday 24 March 2023.

Graham Osborn, Principal Ecologist at Severn Trent, said: “We know that the cost-of-living crisis is having a knock-on impact on nature projects across the region. We want to help, which is why we’re encouraging people to come forward with their projects for this extra funding, to help boost nature in their area.

“What’s good for nature is good for water and we’re open to any ideas, but the more creative the better! For a bit of inspiration, previous projects have included hedgerow planting, wildflower meadow creation and habitat management for native birds and mammals.”

Graham added: “To qualify for this funding, the project must be completed by Friday 24 March 2023, so ideas and proposals need to be shovel-ready to ensure they are up and running by the spring to give the habitats and wildlife the best chance to thrive. We will also consider projects that have already started but weren’t able to be completed, perhaps because they ran into financial difficulty.”

Previous applicants of one of Severn Trent’s schemes to boost biodiversity across the region include the Tame Valley Wetlands, the RSBP and West Midlands Bird Club who collectively secured £10,431 for their work to increase the population and local range of Willow Tits in the Tame Valley, by creating new habitats and raising community awareness of the species.

Ian Wykes, development manager at Tame Valley Wetland, said: “Severn Trent’s support has been fundamental to us bringing willow tits, one of the most threatened native bird species in the UK, back from the brink of extinction.”

The available funding is part of Severn Trent’s Great Big Nature Boost – an environmental commitment that is seeing Severn Trent revive 5,000 hectares of land, plant 1.3 million trees and restore 2,000km of rivers across the Severn Trent region by 2027, allowing the company to give back to the communities it serves while helping to improve the quality of the water it treats and supplies to its customers.

To apply for funding, please email ecologymatters@severntrent.co.uk to express your interest as soon as possible. For more information, please visit stwater.co.uk/biodiversity