A PROJECT in Somerset has received £20,000 of funding from National Grid.

The Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) 'Counting on Mendip' project is part of a long-term initiative to investigate when, where and how people visit the hills.

Thanks to the finding, The Mendip Hills AONB appointed Dr Kelly Davies as a visitor data project officer, who will help to understand and manage visitor pressure on the area ahead of the end of national lockdown.

"We are grateful to National Grid for this funding," she said.

"Society depends on Mendip for many services - from providing food, biodiversity, clean air and water, to tourism and recreation for people’s health and wellbeing - a fact that has become even clearer in light of the pandemic.

"Counting people on Mendip will help us better understand visitor behaviour so that we can develop a more informed approach to promoting the hills when not under lockdown restrictions, which is more sustainable and reduces impact on the natural environment.

"This in turn will help conserve and enhance this nationally protected landscape for both people and wildlife."

The funding is from National Grid's Community Grant Programme, and had been secured due to the Hinkley Connection Project - which will connect low carbon energy to six million homes and business in the area.

"By undergrounding electricity cables through the Mendip Hills and removing current pylons, National Grid’s work on the Hinkley Connection Project will make this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty pylon-free for the first time since the 1960s," added James Goode, Hinkley Connection project director for National Grid.

"We are delighted to support the AONB with its Counting on Mendip initiative which will, after lockdown ends, provide opportunities for more people to experience the beauty of the area by encouraging groups who don’t typically visit and to help conserve sensitive areas for the future."

The project will work with volunteers and land managers to implement and coordinate a programme for collecting and analysing data on visitor numbers and behaviour at key locations across the AONB.

The information collected should help the AONB Partnership to better understand and promote the impacts (both good and bad) of access and recreation on the local environment and society. An action plan will also be created to help inform future management.

The Counting on Mendip Project is funded to run from January to December 2021.