TWO new engagement officers have been appointed at Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

The trust, covering Redditch, Droitwich and Bromsgrove, employed Hannah Thomas and Nicky Willner towards the end of 2014.

Director Colin Raven said: “With recent surveys showing just how disconnected our children are becoming from the natural environment, it’s more crucial than ever that we engage our young people with wildlife and nature.

“Between them, Nicky and Hannah have over 20 years of experience inspiring children about the natural world and they will be building on the really solid foundations of our previous events and education work.”

Nicky has worked as a learning development officer at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and she has also been a primary school teacher.

Nicky said: “I’m delighted to be working for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust where bringing young people ‘nose to nose with nature’ is a real priority.

“We have many exciting new sessions for schools, as well as some old favourites and I am really looking forward to working with staff and pupils from local schools.”

Previously, Hannah worked in outdoor and in-school settings running wildlife and environment-focussed sessions for schoolchildren and families and more recently she was the education manager for a field centre in the Scottish Highlands.

Hannah said: “I’m really looking forward to working with families and various groups across Worcestershire through a series of events planned for the coming year. I’m particularly looking forward to taking our work out to the community to help people discover the amazing wildlife right on their doorstep.”

The pair will run a calendar of programmes for schools and families including groups sessions, children's birthday parties, wildlife discovery courses and guided walks.

They will be delivering nature and wildlife themed activities to around 4,000 children each year.

For more information visit www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/discover-learn