A NATURE reserve could be in line for an £86,500 Lottery award if people pick up the phone and vote for it.

Gazen Salts, in Sandwich, will be battling it out against the Bearsted Woodland Trust project in Maidstone in the People’s Millions contest on the Meridian Tonight programme on Monday, November 26.

This will be the third year that the BIG Lottery Fund has held the competition and people will be invited to phone in with their votes on that day.

Warden at Gazen Salts, Karen Potter, is urging people to support their bid for the cash.

“Next year is the reserve’s 35th anniversary and this money would not only be a big boost to the celebrations but would fund long-lasting improvements to the site,” she said.

“We want to improve public access to the reserve, enhance the wetland, woodland and scrub habitats and create two new wildlife viewing platforms.”

Television viewers will get the chance to see the site and the work that goes on there during a slot on the Meridian Tonight programme, which starts at 6pm.

Voting phone lines will open from 9am to midnight that day, with the phone number available from www.biglotteryfund.org.uk and on the programme.

“We want as many people as possible to ring the number and vote for us,” said Miss Potter.

“The more calls there are the more chance we have of winning the money.”

Winners will be announced the following day and if Gazen Salts does not get the most votes it still has a chance of a runners-up prize, which will be announced on November 30.

* ITV and the BIG Lottery Fund say they will use a low-cost non-premium rate telephone number and will not make a profit from the calls.