Din l-Art Ħelwa has won the Body Shop Foundation's award for the greening of areas around the historic sites managed by the organisation.

Areas around the Delimara Lighthouse and Foresta 2000 below the Red Tower in Mellieħa will benefit from the award.

Together with Birdlife Malta and the Rural Affairs Ministry, Din l-Art Ħelwa manages the vast project known as Foresta 2000 that stretches from Mellieħa Bay to the extreme promontory at Ċumnija.

Over the past five years thousands of endemic trees and shrubs have been planted. Simone Mizzi, local representative of the Body Shop, said: "This money comes at a time when areas such as Foresta 2000 are at a stage in their development plan when visitors can enjoy maps of the area close to the coastal road, pathways and guided trails. The funds can help the site managers to continue to protect against vandalism and dumping, continuing the planting schemes..."

With the funds, DLĦ also intends to lend support to the farmers who work the fields within the area. The organisation will be harvesting the organic honey from the apiaries close by and selling it within the historic sites it looks after.

The Body Shop Foundation is a charitable trust set up by the Body Shop International to support innovative projects across the world working for social and environmental change. A board of trustees, including Gordon Roddick, husband of the late Body Shop founder Dame Anita Roddick, manages the fund.

NGOs in Malta wishing to receive further information about the 2009/2010 Body Shop Foundation Grants Programme, should e-mail bodyshopfoundation@thebodyshop.com. Applications for grant awards together with an outline of deserving projects must be submitted by September 18.