FIVE nature reserves have been officially designated in Sedgefield borough.

Formal documents to launch the project, aimed at bringing people closer to wildlife, were signed by the Mayor of Sedgefield borough, Councillor George Gray, this week.

The five sites to be declared as Local Nature Reserves (LNR) under the Wildspace Project are at Ferryhill Carrs, Castle Eden Walkway, Bishop Middleham Community Wildlife Garden, Byerley, and The Moor, in Newton Aycliffe.

Now Sedgefield borough Council's countryside team aims to work with community groups to discover how they want the areas to work.

The idea is to set up a Friends group for each area, which would manage improvements to each site.

Jonathan Elmer, who leads the countryside team, told councillors: "This is such an important day. The Wildspace scheme is here to deliver certain sites as LNRs.

"It is all about enabling people to start to reintegrate and plan the natural environment in the places they live, to rediscover why it is important to them."

The scheme has been funded with a £75,000 National Lottery grant distributed through English Nature.

The cash will fund for three years the post of LNR officer, held by Debbie Ferguson, and provide capital to launch the scheme.