The National Trust has received international recognition with a grant from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office under the Overseas Territories Environmental Programme.

The grant of ?44,680 is for nature conservation projects which will take place later in the year at Gladys Morrell Nature Reserve in Sandys and Tivoli North in Warwick.

Bermuda National Trust director Steven Conway said each site is in desperate need of woodland conservation work to clear invasives to allow native and endemic species to survive and be re-established.

Gladys Morrell Nature Reserve is off East Shore Road in Somerset and is named after the Bermuda women?s rights activist Gladys Morrell who helped gain the vote for women on the Island in 1944.

The site was a gift to the Trust from the Sandys Chapter of the Imperial Order of Daughters of the Empire who in turn gave the property to the Trust in 1973. The site is open for all to enjoy.

Part of the grant is to also carry out an invasives control project at Tivoli North in Warwick which is a tract of woodland donated to the Trust by the late Gloria Higgs in 1984 so that the Trust can preserve the whole of the Tivoli site as open space.

There are some beautiful cedars in this area that are being choked by invasives of mexican peppers and there will be new planting. The site surrounds Tivoli house which is occupied by Adventureland pre-school nursery.

This project will supplement a nature conservation project at Tivoli North on the opposite side of Middle Road which is due to start shortly with support from the family of former Premier, the late Sir John Sharpe.

Mr. Conway said: ?We are sure that these two ladies, Gladys Morrell and Gloria Higgs, would be very pleased that their properties have been supported with the recognition by the UK Government.

?The grants will go a long way to carry out contact work at the sites and we hope to supplement it with volunteer opportunities.?