A wildlife oasis on the edge of Lowestoft, which showcases the Suffolk Broads at their best, has been given a major boost.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust has been awarded a grant of almost £10,000 for a project to enhance an area of fen meadow habitat on the popular Carlton and Oulton Marshes Nature Reserve.

It comes almost five months after staff and volunteers at the lowland reserve near Lowestoft expressed dismay as acres of wildlife habitat were destroyed by fire.

But this week, there was delight as a meadow at the Suffolk Wildlife Trust's reserve at Carlton Colville is to be restored – thanks to The Veolia Environmental Trust.

The project received a boost with a £9,955 grant from Veolia Environmental Trust, using money that came from landfill tax payments.

The Veolia Environmental Trust has been supporting community and environmental projects through the Landfill Communities Fund for 18 years, and a spokesman said: 'We have awarded Suffolk Wildlife Trust a grant of £9,955 to enhance an area of fen meadow habitat, which has been identified as a conservation priority due to the range of species associated with it.'

The grant was awarded earlier this month, when more than £952,000 was awarded to 27 community and environmental projects across the UK.

The spokesman added: 'We will now start working with the wildlife trust to finalise the details of the project, including its start date, so that work can begin as soon as possible.'

Suffolk Wildlife Trust's Head of Development, Christine Luxton, said: 'We are delighted to have been awarded this grant. It means we can push forward with our project to restore the fen meadow for the benefit of Carlton and Oulton Marshes' wildlife as well as its visitors.'

The 151-hectare (373 acres) lowland reserve consists of meadows, wet grassland, reedbeds, marsh and woodland.

The executive director of the Veolia Environmental Trust, Paul Taylor, said: 'Our Board felt that this project to enhance this habitat would make a real difference to the environment and people's experience of nature. Competition for our grants is increasing so the wildlife trust needs to be congratulated for securing the grant. We look forward to seeing their project start.'

? For more information, or to find out how to apply for funding, visit www.veoliatrust.org

? Have you got a Lowestoft story? Email mark.boggis@archant.co.uk