The Cotswold Water Park's first designated Local Nature Reserve is to be officially launched on Wedenesday.

Cokes pit will be a place for wildlife and people and will be only the second such reserve in Gloucestershire.

It forms part of Keynes Country Park and is situated on the east side of Somerford Keynes, four miles from Cirencester.

The designation of Cokes pit as an LNR has attracted funding from English Nature's Wildspace grant scheme.

Meg Davies, Cotswold Water Park's biodiversity and minerals officer, said that work will start soon on improving footbridges and paths on the site to make it more accessible.

The funding will also mean that the existing display and bird hide can be improved.

It will also allow much needed habitat work to go ahead to make the site even better for the birds, newts and dragonflies that live there.