Seldom-seen legless lizards found in a north Cumbrian churchyard are the focus for a former beauty therapist who is retraining as a zoologist.

Suzanne Collinson, 45, has been working on the conservation project in St Michael's churchyard, Dalston, for the last two years as part of her BSc (Hons) zoology degree at the University of Cumbria.

She photographs unique markings on the worms' chins, a step which helps her to identify individual creatures which are otherwise indistinguishable from each other.

A third-year student, the project is part of Suzanne's dissertation research. In a population count this year she has identified 36 different worms.

Dalston is one of the few areas in Cumbria where the creatures are known to reside.

Her conservation work has contributed to the village’s entry into ‘Britain in Bloom 2018’. Winners are announced next month.

"The village community is very keen to see the interest taken by the University of Cumbria through the work of zoology student Suzanne Collinson. This is of great interest to the judges in both competitions," said Ronnie Auld, Dalston in Bloom chairman and parish councillor.

The slow worm is a legless lizard native to Great Britain, which has a sporadic distribution in the North of England.

It is listed as a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species and is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, due to a decline in numbers related to habitat loss. There are recorded populations in the south Cumbria, but very few in the north.

Suzanne said: "Slow worms are amazing creatures that live in our midst but are hardly ever seen. "The population I am studying was first identified in the 1950s and thought to be brought to the site in bags of compost by allotment holders. They haven’t migrated anywhere else, and it is the only site we know of near Carlisle where they can be found.

"They are quite different to your typical creature that tends to be conserved, but I would argue that they are just as important."

Much of Suzanne’s work involves ensuring the habitat in the churchyard is optimised to support population growth. This involves leaving the grass in the area undisturbed and ensuring there is enough shelter and food so as not to upset the ecosystem in which they thrive.

She said: "I’d really like to encourage people to look out for the creatures in their gardens and report any sightings to the Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre. Slow worms thrive when left alone so people can encourage them to their garden by leaving a rough area untouched.”

Suzanne reminds people that the slow worms at Dalston move freely through a site and have the tendency to shed their tails in defence if they feel threatened. Due to this possibility, people are asked not walk through the conservation area or to handle them if they seem them.

Anyone who spots a slow worm can report its sighting to the Cumbria Biodiversity data centre based adjacent to Tullie House.

The village of Dalston will find out if their latest ‘Britain in Bloom’ bid is successful in October.

Dalston has entered ‘Cumbria in Bloom’ competitions for many years and has enjoyed a very successful record. In 2016 the community was asked to represent Cumbria in the ‘large village’ section of the national ‘Britain in Bloom’ competition, and then again in 2017.

A high proportion of the marks awarded by the judges from the Royal Horticultural Society are for environmental projects and awareness. The village’s success in these competitions is down to a series of sustainable environmental projects such as conservation areas, wildflower meadows and Suzanne’s slow worms.