A new guardian has taken over the care of Frome Banks nature reserve.

Stroud Valleys Project (SVP) is now responsible for managing the wildlife haven where bird such as dippers, grey wagtails and kingfishers can be spotted.

The two acre site is close to Stroud town centre and adjoins the canal and River Frome. It is owned by the county council but has been jointly looked after by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Stroud Valleys Project since it was established in the 90s.

The Trust is now handing over the baton to SVP, a charity founded in 1988 which works with the community and volunteers to ensure no piece of land in the district that needs ecological care will be overlooked.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: "We will be sad to say goodbye to this nature reserve, having devoted several years of hard work to its care.

"However, the Trust is consolidating the land it manages in order to make better use of its resources and to enable work at a large scale to restore ecosystems, strengthen ecological networks, enhance biodiversity and build resilience to climate change across a dynamic mosaic of different habitats in the county."

Clare Mahdiyone, CEO of SVP said: "We're so grateful to Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust for handing over the stewardship of this beautiful spot to us. We thank them for their sympathetic maintenance of this wild space and look forward to taking it forward to a new era.

"Frome Banks is a genuine wildlife haven in a semi-urban area, and it's the perfect place to enjoy a quiet break from the working day. We hope to make the area more accessible to the people of Stroud while retaining its biodiversity."