NEW wildlife officers have been appointed to encourage interest in a county's flora and fauna.

Jennie Garrod and Ian Armstrong hope to spread the word and generate enthusiasm in the wealth of wildlife and scenery on people's doorstep in County Durham.

The county council has created the posts following funding from English Nature's Wildspace grant scheme.

Jennie will look after the west of the county, while Ian's patch will be the east, although both will share an office at County Hall, Durham.

Ian said they were keen to "engage the community" to help them enjoy and improve their surroundings.

"One of the main aims is to get the message across that Durham County Council is taking wildlife issues seriously and realises that it's a magnificent resource for everyone to use and enjoy.

"People do not have to travel a great distance to see nature, it's right on their doorstep."

One of their first tasks is to encourage the public to become involved on a voluntary basis with the establishment and management of local nature reserves.

There are ten reserves in the county with a further nine proposed for the near future.

Jennie said: "Local nature reserves increase people's awareness and enjoyment of their natural environment and provide an ideal environment for everyone to learn about and study nature. They also help to build relationships between local authorities, national and local nature conservation organisations and local people, as well as protect wildlife habitats.

"We want local people to have a sense of ownership in the reserves across the county and would welcome ideas and comments from the public about future strategies and initiatives."

Jennie and Ian can be contacted on 0191-383 4083.