VISITORS are expected to have an even better experience when a range of new features are introduced to South Cumbria's biggest nature reserve following the awarding of a grant.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust (CWT) has received £17,397 from the Tarmac Limited Landfill Communities Fund which will be spent at the Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve near Witherslack.

It will pay for three benches to be installed at key viewing points - the osprey platform, raised viewing tower and dragonfly ponds - while a picnic bench will be installed near a new bird feeding and viewing area.

People will also be able to understand more about the wildlife at the nature reserve thanks to 15 new explorer backpacks for young visitors complete with spotter sheets, binoculars, bug viewers and simple identification charts.

The grant will also fund the removal of 12 to 15 hectares of rhododendron and western hemlock from the site.

Paul Waterhouse, Southern Reserves Officer for CWT, said: “These new visitor facilities will make for an even more enjoyable experience for visitors to Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve. The new benches will enable people to sit and enjoy this special place for longer. The visitor guide will explain why Foulshaw Moss is so special and what wildlife can be seen there.”

The reserve is just one of a handful of sites in England where osprey can be viewed easily.