A North East national park recently welcomed two young rangers to its team, courtesy of funding from a renowned car company.

Lucy Fenwick, from Northumberland, and Guy Griffiths, from County Durham, were appointed to the newly created roles, funded by BMW UK, at Northumberland National Park.

Their job will be to assist nature recovery efforts within the park and welcome visitors throughout the summer.

Having previously held a trainee placement position at the park, Ms Fenwick returns with experience under her belt.

Mr Griffiths, on the other hand, brings knowledge gained from his studies in Land and Wildlife Management at Houghall College in Durham.

The pair will engage with visitors during the busy summer season, supporting not only the park's nature and wildlife conservation efforts, but also taking on practical tasks like tree planting and red squirrel monitoring.

Additionally, they will help with activities such as guided tours and education programmes for schools.

These roles were made possible through funding from a project by BMW, who've recently celebrated reaching the halfway mark of a partnership with all 15 UK National Parks.

This three-year scheme will see the German company invest around £1 million in biodiversity and community projects as well as install 135 new charging points across the UK’s National Parks.

Margaret Anderson, senior ranger at the park, said: "The BMW-funded nature ranger roles in Northumberland have opened up entry-level pathways to employment with Northumberland National Park, kick-starting what we hope will be life-long careers in the environment sector for Guy and Lucy.

"They will also carry out practical conservation tasks which will contribute to important nature recovery projects on a landscape scale."

Guy Griffiths, keen to begin his work as a nature ranger, added: "The BMW Recharge in Nature funding has opened up a fantastic opportunity for Lucy and I, providing us with real hands-on experience and helping us create a welcoming park for everyone visiting Northumberland National Park this summer."

Graham Biggs, corporate communications director, BMW UK, said: "It’s a huge pleasure to reflect on Recharge in Nature’s impacts to date, and to celebrate the power of this partnership."