Nature reserve hide honours WW2 hero

North Cave Wetlands is home to Yorkshire's largest black-headed gull colony

A new hide, dedicated to a hero of World War Two, is to be opened at a nature reserve near Hull.

The hide, overlooking a new extension to North Cave Wetlands, has been funded by the family of Dennis Wood.

He was among 337 men killed in October 1942 when the Queen Mary ocean liner crashed into the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Curacoa and caused it to sink.

Mr Wood's sister, Margaret, is a member of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and a regular visitor to the reserve, and was keen to give him a space to be remembered in East Yorkshire where he grew up.

The new extension at North Cave Wetlands has been designed to provide breeding habitat for rare and endangered ground nesting birds such as avocet and little ringed plover.

New areas of reedbed nursery have also been created to allow for further future expansion and provide habitat for other important wetland-dwelling wildlife.

The Trust will host a celebration day at the reserve on 31 July to coincide with the opening of the hide which will include guided walks with wildlife experts.

North Cave Wetlands reserve manager Tony Martin, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be able to open The Dennis Wood Hide in memory of an East Yorkshire war hero.

"It provides a wonderful place for visitors to experience the wetland at its best, and offers a beautiful view over the water.

"We hope visitors will enjoy all of the wildlife-spotting opportunities the new hide will bring, and the chance to put the reserve and our experts through their paces as part of the celebration day.”

Follow BBC East Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]