Northants Nature Girls set up for women to enjoy nature

Megan Owen from the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire started the group

A new nature group for women in their 20s and 30s hoped to encourage them to feel "comfortable" enjoying wildlife.

Northants Nature Girls is run by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

Its first event at Rushden Lakes on Saturday has already sold out, with further meet-ups planned.

Organiser Megan Owen said: "There are a lot of barriers particularly for women enjoying nature."

The 27-year-old said it was started to "encourage young women to come along and enjoy nature but also meet new people who are like-minded".

She said she had "always loved nature, being outdoors in the fields and looking at wildlife".

But added: "Throughout my 20s it's been quite tricky to make friends and meet new people who are into the same things as you."

The first group will meet at the Nene Wetlands at Rushden Lakes

The communities officer for the trust said the fact the group meeting had been fully booked showed there was "so many people who feel the same".

The first group will walk around the Rushden nature reserve, and the learn how to craft a willow bird feeder.

Ms Owen told BBC Radio Northampton the women had signed up "just want to meeting people to do thing with nature".

She said: "A lot of people don't feel safe going out on their own.

"I will go [out on my own] but don't always feel 100% comfortable and there are people who won't go at all

"We would like to be able to take them to places they might not have gone before, that might be quite remote and with not many people around [that] they don't feel safe in usually [but] they can get in the group and just enjoy it together".