Biffaward, a national fund managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, is offering up to £2.4m a year in grants to help protect and rebuild the UK’s biodiversity.

The funding, which will be available for the next three years, is encouraging more environmental and community groups to apply for the funding, which is available from halls, museums and play areas to ponds and nature reserves.

Recent projects to receive funding from the scheme include the Great Fen Project, which aims to restore more than 3,000 hectares of wildlife habitat; and the Calke Abbey National Reserve project in Derbyshire.