King's Award honours 'backbone of wildlife trust'

A group that has promoted the protection of wildlife on the Isle of Man for more than 50 years has been honoured with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Established in 1973, the Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) was recognised for "delivering and championing conservation of Manx nature and the environment".

MWT was one of 281 volunteer-led groups selected to receive the award in 2024.

Chief executive Leigh Morris said the group’s 500 volunteers were "the backbone of how our charity delivers our nature conservation and restoration work".

Based in Peel, the charity looks after several nature reserves across the island, runs visitor centres at the Ayres and Scarlett, and spearheads regular initiatives to promote Manx wildlife and the environment.

It is also contracted to provide wardens for the bird observatory on the Calf of Man on behalf of Manx National Heritage.

Among MWT’s most recent projects is a proposed 30,000-tree nature reserve in East Baldwin, which received planning approval last month.

Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer, who will present the award to the MWT early next year, said it was "exceptionally well deserved".

He said: "I am very impressed with the breadth and scale of the work undertaken by Manx Wildlife Trust.

"The dedication of their volunteers on the island is critical in maintaining the island’s environment on land and sea, and in preserving our special and unique status as a whole-nation Unesco biosphere."

Mr Morris said those who voluntarily took part in the organisation’s work over the past 50 years were "all wonderful people who give their valuable time to help nature".

It was "absolutely wonderful that every single one of them" was being "honoured in this way by our King", he added.

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