WORKERS from Nationwide Building Society’s Swindon office got their hands dirty in the name of conservation at Blakehill Farm nature reserve in Cricklade yesterday.

Employees worked together from 10am to help develop the meadow area at the farm and also built barn owl boxes and a hibernacular – spaces made from stone and earth for reptiles to hibernate in.

A spokesman from Nationwide said: “We really enjoyed making a contribution to one of the UK’s largest grassland restoration projects.

“Blakehill Farm is a slice of living history and we’ve been developing the hay meadow to support local wildlife and building bird boxes to shelter barn owls over the coming months.

“We used teamwork to spur us on, especially when it was cold this morning, and would recommend projects that support local organisations to anyone looking to make a difference outside the office.”

Toos van Noordwijk, Magnificent Meadows officer at the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, which owns the farm, said: “In the past meadows were everywhere. Species could travel to other meadows.

“But because our landscapes are fragmented now, we are having to do a lot more to help these species. This work is crucial to their survival.”