Norfolk Wildlife Trust has launched a three-year project which aims to connect people in Great Yarmouth, Thetford and King’s Lynn with nature.

Wild Norfolk will consist of a series of events and activities in and around the three areas, made up of wildlife taster days which will encourage participants to explore local green spaces, countryside sites and nature reserves.

In addition, a programme of free wildlife workshops – intensive half and one-day courses, ranging from wildlife gardening to surveying plants and animals, will be held.

NWT project officer Gemma Walker said: “Wild Norfolk aims to connect these three largely urban communities back to nature. Thetford, Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn all have some brilliant wildlife-rich countryside on their fringes and we also hope to amaze people by revealing how much wildlife can be found even within urban green spaces.

“The free wildlife workshops and community taster events will help and encourage people to enjoy their local landscape, fauna and flora and help bring communities together to celebrate the natural world.”

It is hoped a minimum of 1,500 people will participate in 150 wildlife workshops held over the next three years, with 3,000 participants expected for the wildlife taster days.

Nature reserves that will be visited as part of Wild Norfolk include NWT Weeting Heath, near Brandon, NWT Roydon Common, near King’s Lynn, and NWT Hickling Broad, near Yarmouth.

The workshops start this month with a series of free courses on wildlife gardening for beginners held at Great Yarmouth Library tomorrow, March 15 and 22.

The Wild Norfolk project has been awarded �98,000 by Natural England as part of its Access to Nature programme, funded by �25m from the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme.