AN EXPLOSION of green is set to hit a village near York – thanks to thousands of pounds in Lottery funding.

Youngsters in Escrick will be donning gardening gloves and picking up tools tomorrow to brighten up their village green and create a new wildlife corridor in a bid to make the area more attractive and attract extra visitors.

The project has been made possible after the village secured a £4,700 Breathing Places grant through the Big Lottery Fund, together with help from the BBC's Springwatch initiative, and will concentrate on improving and enhancing the appearance of the open space and its pond.

Along with volunteers from the area, pupils from Escrick Primary School and Queen Margaret’s School will be helping to lay 200 metres of wildflower turf and planting several hundred spring flower seeds to give the green – which now also boasts three new picnic benches – an environmental facelift.

“We are delighted to have received this grant from the Big Lottery Fund and we are very grateful to them for considering our village green,” said Escrick Village Green Committee spokesman Mike Russell.

“The committee consists of a small group of local volunteers who organise a number of fun events throughout the year to raise funds to maintain the environment.

“Receiving this grant has enabled us to further enhance the area for the benefit of all the local visitors and residents and make this a really lovely place to enjoy and an ideal picnic location for families.”

As well as lending a hand to the green’s new look, the children taking part will also be told what the future holds for the area and how wildlife will be promoted through their work.

In addition to providing an open space for recreational activities, the green is also the venue for a string of fundraising events, including black tie musical evenings, an open-air carol concert which marks the unveiling of the village’s Christmas lights, ceilidh dances with live music and Escrick’s Grand Summer Fete.

It is rented from the local landowner, Escrick Park Estate, at a peppercorn rent, having originally been created in 1995 by current owner and proprietor Charles Forbes Adam.

The estate provided the pond and wooden bridge, before passing the care and upkeep of the area on to the committee. The Breathing Places programme is a UK-wide small grants scheme which provides between £1,000 and £5,000 in funding for projects aimed at improving the local environment.