A WOMAN from Bratton Clovelly has received an outstanding volunteer award from a national wildlife charity.

Butterfly Conservation (BC) presented Jenny Evans with the honour in recognition of her work for BC’s Devon branch, where she volunteers in three separate roles.

She currently runs the branch website, leads guided walks and organises and carries out butterfly surveys.

BC said the monitoring schemes are crucial in helping the charity measure how butterflies and moths are doing in the UK, and the results can inform scientific research and future conservation projects.

Jenny said: “I’ve had a lifelong interest in wildlife and as a small child I would rear butterflies and moths from the caterpillars I found in my parents’ garden.

“I’ve been volunteering for Butterfly Conservation for years now and receiving this award was a lovely surprise.”

Chairman of BC’s Devon branch, Barry Henwood, said: “It’s great to see Jenny receive recognition for her hard work because she contributes so much of her free time to the branch. Her efforts to recruit and train new volunteers for survey work have allowed us to keep a close eye on all the butterflies found in Devon and ensure that we are helping the species which really need it.”

Those interested in volunteering for BC’s Devon branch can see upcoming events at www.butterfly-conservation.org/DevonBCevents