WORCESTERSHIRE Wildlife Trust, the county's largest nature conservation charity, has produced a video as part of its 50th celebrations.

The organisation has worked with Worcestershire Biological Records Centre to identify how many individual species of wildlife have been sighted on their nature reserves during their 50 year history.

To date, 9,935 species have been recorded on trust nature reserves and to celebrate the trust has produced a video featuring some of the eye catching species.

The two minute video has been produced by undergraduate film-maker Emily Brazier using many photographs of wildlife taken by local photographers, and went live earlier today, which is the date of the anniversary.

Wendy Carter, communications lead for the trust, said: “The last 50 years have been really exciting for the trust.

"We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our members and supporters for their help in protecting Worcestershire’s wildlife.

“We now protect almost 100 parcels of land right across Worcestershire and, as the video goes some way to demonstrate, this also means that we’re protecting the wild plants and wildlife that make their homes there – from beetles and birds to oaks and orchids.

“It’s fantastic that 9,935 species have been recorded on our nature reserves. It shows that not only are our reserves great for wildlife but that there is also an army of dedicated people out there who report what they see, which helps us to better manage our land for wildlife.

“We’ve achieved some fantastic things during the last 50 years, from playing a significant role in the return of otters to inspiring 4,000 children about our natural world each year through our school programmes and family activities.

“We couldn’t have done this without support from our members and the public. So, as well as looking back at our history, we’re also looking to the future to see how we can continue to work together to make a real difference for wildlife in Worcestershire.”

Worcestershire Wildlife Trust was formed in March 1968 when it split from the regional West Midlands Trust for Nature Conservation. At its formation the Trust had just 400 members, with the number now at more than 23,000 members and is also supported by a team of 400 volunteers.

The trust is also launching a series of initiatives celebrating the wonders of Worcestershire’s wildlife throughout the year. Many of these will celebrate the role that people can play in helping wildlife across the county.

The charity will also be running a series of events to help people discover more about Worcestershire’s natural world.