Craven Arms: Grant to help restore Shropshire dragonfly hotspot

A grant of more than £6,000 is to be spent restoring a pond to support dragonflies.

Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre was England's first site to be designated as a dragonfly hotspot by the British Dragonfly Society.

It has since become overgrown, and if not managed the open water, which is essential for the creatures' hunting, could be lost.

The centre in Craven Arms has received National Lottery Award For All funding.

The project is expected to get underway in September after the manager of the centre Grant Wilson said the centre was given just over £6,000.

Being a hotspot means "they are a special place for dragonflies", he said.

"They encourage lots of different species of dragonfly, they provide a really good habitat for them and they provide a good public viewing point for them," Mr Wilson said.

"But we have actually been a little bit worried in recent years because the reed beds which are so important have actually started encroaching into the open water.

"We'd had a couple of attempts with volunteers to try and pull the reeds but basically it is too big a job."

The work will involve taking out the reeds and reducing shading around the pond, he added.

He said work cannot take place until the autumn so as not to disrupt the dragonflies, as they lay their eggs in the reeds in spring and hatch late in the summer.

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