Frome resident, BBC presenter and wildlife cameraman Simon King made his first official visit to Rodden Nature Reserve and expressed delight at the progress that has been made at the site, next to Asda's Wallbridge store.

Accompanied by Frome Area Wildlife Group chairman Mick Ridgard and secretary Peter Bardgett, Mr King was given a tour of the reserve and brought up-to-date with the latest news and developments.

More than 100 different bird species have now been recorded at the reserve, which also continues to be surveyed for small mammals, insects, invertebrates and plants.

But it was the sight of a rare bee orchid that provided Mr King with his biggest surprise of the afternoon, as this scarce plant has only recently been discovered on the reserve.

Mr Ridgard said: "The more we can do to attract the broadest possible range of wildlife whilst the reserve is still establishing itself, the more we'll benefit over the longer term. If birds, mammals, insects and butterflies can nest and breed without disturbance, the more chance we'll have of establishing a genuinely rich and diverse site for everyone in Frome to enjoy".

Mr King said: "I fully support everything that FAWG are trying to achieve down here, they are doing an incredible job and the diversity of flora and fauna that can already be found here is real testament to that.

"The reserve is something everyone in Frome should be proud of, and once it's open again to the public in August I'd encourage anyone with an interest in wildlife to come down and see what a great asset this place is to our town."