A FORMER school teacher is helping to put visitors in the picture about a unique nature reserve.

Most of the photographs being incorporated into an interactive touch screen planned for a North Yorkshire nature reserve were taken by retired Darlington biology and science teacher Elizabeth Dickinson.

She is an enthusiastic nature photographer and volunteer at the Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve at Catterick Garrison, visited by 25,000 schoolchildren in just five years.

The screen will cover species ranging from fungi, flowers, ferns and grasses to insects, birds and mammals found across Foxglove’s 15 different habitats.

The reserve must raise £22,000 to buy the 32 inch interactive screen by the beginning of October.

Miss Dickinson said: “I think a screen will be great. The reserve is already there and the screen in the field centre will link the inside to the outside."

Ruth Farrow, co-ordinator of the appeal launched to raise the £22,000, said: “The screen will be encyclopaedic. It will provide answers to queries and will have a quiz.

“Elizabeth has worked tirelessly putting together the species lists and photographs. I think she has a few photographs from other people but she has done the lion’s share."

Owned by the Ministry of Defence, Foxglove has 70 different species of birds and 670 different species of plants and flowers.

Retired Major Tony Crease, architect of Foxglove Covert, said: “This screen is designed to be informative but fun, complete with pictures and photographs illustrating different aspects of the species you are looking at."