A CHARITY that helps protect barn owls in the Machynlleth and Llanidloes area has won an environmental award.

The Powys Species Habitat Protection Group, based in Llandinam, has won the Wales Council for Voluntary Action Third Sector Environmental prize.

The group works to protect barn owls and their breeding sites. At the beginning of 2000, barn owl nests in the county had declined by at least 70 per cent.

The group has helped restore farm buildings that had been allowed to fall into disrepair, allowing breeding pairs to continue to inhabit the space, and have installed 80 boxes fitted with monitors to minimise the impacts within the annual monitoring programme.

Jan Jones, chair of the group, said: “Mid-winter is usually a quiet time for us, but this year we’ve had a great surprise, being nominated for this award.”

Jonathan Sloan, fieldwork team leader for the group, said how “absolutely delighted” he was to accept the award on behalf of all the group members and trustees.

He said: “It seems like a very long road that we have travelled along over the past 20-plus years. To even be considered for such an award is a great achievement, and then to be shortlisted down to the last four was fantastic, but to go on and win it is a superb accolade and shows the determination, dedication and hard work of the whole group.”

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