A new network of heritage trails could be established in the Trent Vale area if the local landscape partnership is successful in its bid to secure a £1.7m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The Trent Vale Landscape Partnership (TVLP) has submitted the final stage of its funding application in order to help finance a £2.7m initiative to celebrate the natural heritage of the River Trent between Newark, Nottinghamshire, and West Stockwith, South Yorkshire. In addition to the creation of new heritage trails, the TVLP is also proposing improvements to rare wetland habitats, the renovation of the Willow Works Heritage Centre in Beckingham, Nottinghamshire, and upgraded moorings on the tidal stretch of the River Trent.

Led by British Waterways, the partnership incorporates a number of stakeholders, including Lincolnshire County Council, Nottingham County Council, Natural England and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Rob Fitzsimons, Trent Vale project manager, said: "We are all hopeful that within the near future we will be able to follow Trent Vale heritage trails, visit Trent Vale festival events, read the guide to Trent Vale and get involved in the hundreds of volunteering opportunities that will be made available."

TVLP, which was originally established by the OnTrent initiative in 2006, expects to discover whether it has been successful in its bid for HLF funding by the end of September, with projects scheduled to be implemented in early 2010. Image: Rob Fitzsimons