Volunteers sought to plant rare wildflowers
Cumbria Wildlife TrustA wildlife trust is calling for volunteers to help it plant rare seeds to boost wildflower numbers.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust said it wanted to grow 40,000 plants across South Lakeland over the next two years.
The charity's grassland and pollinator team manager Tanya St. Pierre said the project would "protect our vanishing species of wildflowers".
She said volunteers would have many opportunities to help, "from sowing seeds in our nursery to planting the tiny plug plants out in the Cumbrian landscape".
The trust said it was looking to "reintroduce or bolster" 14 rare plant species to the region, including marsh-marigolds and lady's mantles.
It already has 24 farmers and landowners who have signed up to let them grow the plants on their land.
The team has already started collecting the seeds and is seeking volunteers to help it plant them at its nursery over the next few months.
It particularly wanted to engage young volunteers, who would be trained by staff from the Kew Millennium Seed Bank, said Ms St. Pierre.
More volunteers would then be required over the next two years to plant the plugs around South Lakeland, she said.
The project is being funded by a £250,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.