A PROJECT to teach youngsters about the joys of the countryside has received a £1,000 boost.

The Beaulieu-based Country-side Education Trust (CET) was presented with the money by Esso and ExxonMobil, the sister companies which run Fawley oil refinery complex.

CET members will use the cash to convert an agricultural building into a workshop.

The grant was awarded under a scheme that recognises the efforts of ExxonMobil staff who donate their time to schools, charities and non-profit making organisations.

The recipient of the CET grant was Rick Withers, a process operator at the refinery. Mr Withers was introduced to the trust when a colleague asked him to carry out some voluntary work at the end of a night shift 25 years ago. He is now a regular trust volunteer.

"It's wonderful to watch children with no experience of the countryside come and enjoy a hands-on experience with real animals," he said.

"On the first day they're a bit hesitant but by the end of the week they're really stuck in. We often get tears when it's time to go home."

Pictured are students from Totton College who visit the Countryside Education Trust twice a week during term time.