A project designed to help children get closer to nature has been given a £20,000 boost.

The Henry Bloom Noble (HBN) Healthcare Trust has given the money to the Wellness and Wild Space project at the Children’s Centre at Wallberry Farm in Braddan.

The grant will be used to construct a wooden boardwalk along the conservation area to preserve the natural habitats of the wildlife.

Joff Whitten, head of the Children’s Centre, said: ‘We have commenced part of a project of upgrading one of the spaces at the farm, the conservation area, into a more accessible, more engaging, just incredibly exciting space for children, young people and families to use.

‘ It will complement the main farm that we have and all the activities that we can provide for families and children.’

The Children’s Centre were approached by Utmost International after its recent merger with Quilter made it the island’s largest private sector employer.

They were looking for a team building project for all their staff.

With Utmost providing the labour, the centre just needed the funding for the materials required.

In a statement a trustee of the HBN trust, Malcolm Clague, spoke about the impact of the project.

‘Children of the present generation, will be able to benefit from that joy and enhance their physical and mental well-being brought from being out in the Manx countryside,’ he said.