Vistry Group, which is building new homes at Bollin Grange in Macclesfield, has donated £250 to the Canal & River Trust as part of its support for protecting waterways.

The money will help the trust continue its work managing canals and rivers across the UK, including the Macclesfield Canal, which lies next to Bollin Grange.

Vistry is building 306 new homes under its Linden Homes and Bovis Homes brands at the development, off Gaw End Lane in Lyme Green.

According to the developers: "To protect the neighbouring canal, a 17-acre area of land to the south of the new homes has been designated as protected open space. The housebuilder is also providing more than £100,000 as part of the planning agreement for the development towards the maintenance of this area."

A spokesperson for Canal & River Trust said: "As a charity, Canal & River Trust is faced with soaring costs of looking after the country's ageing network of canals at a time when available funds are stretched and future funding is being cut.

"We care for more than 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales, so we appreciate donations, like this £250 from Vistry Group, which will go towards our vital work to maintain our 250-year-old canal network and keep it safe and available for people and wildlife."

Alongside the new homes, Bollin Grange will include green open spaces, play areas, new allotments and designated zones for wildlife. Measures are being taken to support hedgehogs, with 'hedgehog highways' created by small holes in fencing and walls, while residents are being given seed packs to grow bee-friendly flowers.

Freya Halsall, marketing manager for Vistry Mercia, said: "The Macclesfield Canal is a Site of Biological Interest and Conservation Area which runs alongside our Bollin Grange development, so we are particularly pleased to be supporting the Canal & River Trust, which does such great work protecting canals and waterways across the country.

"This donation forms part of our wider commitment to protect the natural surroundings of Bollin Grange, where we are creating a large area of protected open space neighbouring the canal. As well as protecting the environment of the waterway, this area will also provide species rich grassland to support biodiversity."

The housebuilder is delivering 213 properties for private sale at Bollin Grange, including two to five-bedroom houses and a two-bedroom bungalow. There will also be 93 affordable homes available for rent or shared ownership for local people.

Macclesfield: To find out more about the Canal and River Trust, please visit this link.

More details about Bollin Grange are available at lindenhomes.co.uk or bovishomes.co.uk.