A PROJECT to conserve one of the most rare habitats in the world has received a £5,000 boost.

East Durham has about 70 per cent of the world's remaining magnesian limestone deposits. The soil supported by the limestone provides a unique habitat for species such as the Durham Argus butterfly.

Former Mayor of Durham George Wharton has donated £5,000 to Durham Wildlife Trust, to help safeguard its future.

It was part of £9,360 handed to the trust from Mr Wharton's Chase the Butterfly appeal fund, set up when he was mayor of the city in 2000 and 2001.

The money will help set up a grassland nursery, where the trust will cultivate plants that can be introduced to areas of magnesian limestone grassland suffering from the effects of mining or intensive farming.

Mr Wharton said: "This project ties in so well with the aims of my appeal. It is an opportunity to help ensure the long-term future of this unique butterfly and I am delighted to provide the funds to set up the plant nursery."

A further £4,000 from the Chase the Butterfly appeal fund has gone towards printing a Gardening for Wildlife leaflet, to be launched by the trust later this month.

The pamphlet gives advice on how to garden in an environmentally friendly way. It aims to encourage North-East gardeners to create wildlife gardens, that can attract and help sustain about 3,000 different species.

The remaining £360 will be used to buy a wheelchair for the trust's Low Barns Visitor Centre and Nature Reserve, in Witton-le-Wear, County Durham. Disabled access has been improved at the site in recent years and the donation will allow a broader range of people to access the site.