NatureSpy’s iWild project had a special guest on Sunday afternoon – MP for Wrexham, Ian Lucas.

Mr Lucas was invited along to help NatureSpy set up the cameras at Marford Quarry, a North Wales Wildlife Trust reserve. It’s hoped the cameras, which work by detecting heat and movement, will help reveal more about some of the wildlife which lives in the reserve.

The cameras being placed in Marford were part of the larger iWild North Wales project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which aims to help bring people closer to their local wildlife.

Mr Lucas said: “Setting up a camera trap first thing on a Sunday morning was certainly a new experience to me. With NatureSpy’s expertise, the trap I set up was placed alongside an animal track so hopefully, when the cameras are recovered in a few weeks’ time, we should get some great footage.

“It’s also good to know that, as a social enterprise, NatureSpy are actively working to involve local communities with the environment. I really enjoyed working with them and I’m looking forward to seeing what footage we get.”

As well as being joined by Mr. Lucas, Dr. Rhian Thomas from Natural Resources Wales and Nick Wilson from Wales Co-operative Centre also came along to learn more about the project.

James McConnell, a Director of NatureSpy, said: “We’re delighted that Mr. Lucas joined us to learn about the iWild project and to see first-hand what NatureSpy are doing in the local area. As a Welsh social enterprise, we work very hard to shine a light on the often hidden wildlife in North Wales whilst involving local people.

Even better was that Mr. Lucas got stuck in and had a go at setting up a camera trap himself!”

To find out more about the iWild project and how you can get involved, head over to the project’s home page.