Conservationists are tonight celebrating in Westminster after hearing they have secured £250,000 funding.

The Friends of St Ives, at Harden, beat 170 groups to be included in the last eight for community funding - four of which were to share £1million.

Friends' chairman Pam Laking and members John Rhodes and Kath Gabbitas, along with Bradford Council representative Gillian Biggs, today attended an event at the House of Commons where they were told their £250,000 bid for the WRG and Waste Recycling Environmental Limited (WREN) funding had been successful.

Mrs Laking said: "We are very excited and very pleased.

"We cannot wait to get started. Obviously we will now have to sit down and go through all of the projects so we see which is the best way forward.

"We would like volunteers to help for all areas of the project but will be advertising in the Telegraph & Argus."

The cash will be spent on improvements to the St Ives estate. One of the main projects is to restore two rooms in the former coach house to be used as a Friends of St Ives visitors' centre and classroom.

Shipley MP Philip Davies, who attended the event, said: "It is a tribute to them that they put forward a great bid and it is a great cause."

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