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Work to transform a former golf course in Derbyshire into a nature reserve is due to start "within days".

Erewash Borough Council said on Friday that butterfly and bee banks would be among the first things to be created at the Pewit Coronation Meadows Local Nature Reserve.

The site in Ilkeston was previously home to Pewit Golf Course, which closed in 2022 due to "substantial financial operating losses".

The authority said the reserve - which will also feature wildflower meadows, orchards and footpaths - was expected to take two to three years to create.

The £500,000 project is being paid for using funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and money raised from businesses involved in the redevelopment of Stanton ironworks.

Mark Alfrey, the authority's lead member for environment, said: "When the golf course had to close the council was keen to see the site continue as a community asset.

"Thanks to the council securing vital government investment we are now getting a new nature reserve at Pewit.

"We are thrilled to announce the launch of Pewit Coronation Meadows Nature Reserve, a project that embodies the principles of rewilding by providing a haven for biodiversity."

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