A BELBROUGHTON man who assisted with a water vole conservation project in Bromsgrove has been given the Greatest Contribution to Wildlife Conservation Award by Worcestershire wildlife Trust, in their first ever awards.

Peter Case who is a recent graduate from Worcester University was presented with the award by Helen Woodman, reserves team leader at Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

She said: “The award is given in recognition of the student who was demonstrated their own initiative to benefit wildlife through volunteering, wildlife study and relevant research.”

In addition to completing a BSc in Environmental Management, Mr Case has spent a lot of time volunteering for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, beginning with practical conservation work, before overseeing the construction of an artificial habitat for breeding birds at Upton Warren, and contacting landowners in Bromsgrove to help arrange for them to be trained in how to conserve water voles.

Mr Case added “Volunteering with Worcestershire Wildlife Trust complemented my academic studies at Worcester perfectly. The practical and office based tasks provided a taste for working in conservation sector and confirmed that this was the career I wanted to pursue after my studies.”