Britain's Got Wetland Talent

As the nation gears up for Britain's Got Talent this spring, WWT is looking for the unsung heroes whose talent for creating or looking after wetlands and wildlife usually goes unrecognised.

WWT is asking people to nominate the wetlands — ponds, lakes, streams and others — that they enjoy visiting and think benefit their community. WWT will find the hard-working, talented people that look after them and shortlist them for the Marsh Award for Wetland Conservation 2011, giving them the chance to win £1,000. The award is part of a portfolio of awards run by the Marsh Christian Trust.

Martin Spray, WWT Chief Executive, explains: "In parks and green spaces across the UK, wetlands quietly look after us and the wildlife around us. They are somewhere people enjoy walking, a place where children play and learn about the natural world and a haven for spotting wildlife. They even protect us by storing floodwater and keeping our waterways clean. We want to discover who looks after them and give those people the recognition they are due. So tell us if there's a wetland you think is great. We'll track down the person who makes it great and they will be shortlisted for the Marsh Award for Wetland Conservation. Help us reward the people who tend our wetlands behind the scenes."

The nomination form is available online until 15th April. It is simple and easy to complete in less than five minutes.

The Marsh Award 2011 will go to the person who is judged by us to be mainly responsible for managing the wetland in recognition of their unsung contribution to creating a wetland for everyone to enjoy and will be presented at the Wetland Futures conference in June. The things we will be looking for to help judge the award are:

• The wetland is accessible to as many people as possible;
• The wetland is attractive and brings a wide range of benefits to the people who live nearby;
• The wetland is home to a wide variety of wild plants and animals;
• The wetland is managed by someone who, either in their job or in their spare time, makes a difference by caring for the wetland, and/or improving the benefits it provides to local people. They could do this either themselves or through organising others.