Half a million for 4,000ha restoration project

Biffaward has given £500,000 to the County Durham Environmental Trust to support the work of the North Pennines AONB Partnership restoring more than 4,000ha of blanket bog.

The North Pennines contains 27% of England's blanket bog, a habitat increasingly recognised as a key carbon sink.

But the peat has been substantially damaged by drainage channels over the last half century and the AONB has been blocking drainage "grips" with 270km blocked so far restoring 1,266ha of bog.

"The grant will allow us to restore these internationally important habitats at a landscape scale," said AONB director Chris Woodley-Stewart.

"It also presents a unique opportunity for us to raise awareness about the role of peatlands in reducing national and international carbon dioxide levels."