WORK on a 'pollinator pathway' which will include an Otley nature reserve is underway.

Friends of Nidderdale AONB is using a £42,000 Biffa Award to create a 10 kilometre stretch of linked, flower-rich habitats.

The group is working with farmers to restore 43.5 hectares of lowland meadow using locally-sourced seed where possible - and has already completed work on 26.5 hectares.

The resulting pathway of areas, which will include Otley Wetland Nature Reserve, is intended to support at-risk species of insects and flowers.

Nidderdale AONB Biodiversity Project Officer, Kelly Harmar, said: "We are delighted to have had such a successful start to the Pollinator Pathways Project.

"I would like to thank the farmers for generously taking part in the project and for undertaking to manage the wildflower meadows in the future.

"I would also like to thank our local contractors, DTMS, for their skilled work."

Chairman of Friends of Nidderdale AONB, Heather Garnett, added: "We have had a fantastic start to the project, achieving more than half our target in one year.

"We look forward to watching the meadow flowers develop over the coming years and to seeing the pollinators return."

The Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers 233 square miles and stretches from Jervaulx and Masham in the north to Otley and Ilkley in the south.