Green spaces in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will receive £700,000 to support with conservation, fundraising and volunteering.

Natural Cambridgeshire was chosen as one of only ten projects nationally to successfully receive funding from the government backed scheme.

The aim is to secure the future of the county's parks and green spaces so that they can continue to play a vital part of the community, a place for wildlife to thrive and for people to meet and play.

Gillian Beasley, chief executive of Cambridgeshire County Council, said: "I am delighted that Cambridgeshire County Council's partnership has been chosen as one of only ten projects to receive funding from Future Parks.

"It is vital that we are able to sustain our green spaces and this money will go a long way to maintaining and developing attractive parks as places that people will want to come and visit, play and relax in."

The funding will come from the Future Parks scheme by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the National Trust.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough project was chosen from more than 80 other projects submitted by councils and communities across the UK.

Matthew Bradbury, deputy chair for Natural Cambridgeshire, said: "We have ambitious plans for the creation of a world class environment across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

"Central to this is a clear strategy for managing green open space and land for nature.

"The Future Parks funding is a huge step forward in helping us realise these plans and delivering benefits to local people.

"As a partnership, Natural Cambridgeshire brings together conservation charities, private sector developers, community groups and statutory agencies - we look forward to bringing this diverse experience and perspective to this important project."

Hilary McGrady, the National Trust's director general, hailed the funding as "a landmark moment for the nation's parks".

"We need to give parks a reboot and start thinking about them as essential elements of our communities in the same way we think about housing or transport," she said.

"Future Parks is the beginning of something really exciting. What these eight projects achieve will help guide how other councils and communities can really make a difference to securing the future of their parks too."