One of Dorset's best-loved sites is in line for further distinction after being nominated for a BBC Countryfile Magazine Award.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' Arne reserve has been nominated in the category 'Nature Reserve of the Year' - and with voting now open, RSPB Arne is urging Dorset's bird lovers to take to the polls and ensure its victory.

The Countryfile Magazine Awards, which mark their seventh iteration in 2018, celebrate the British countryside and country life, with awards ranging from outstanding national parks to the cosiest rural pubs. The magazine invites its readers to submit nominees, which are then carefully whittled down to five per category.

RSPB Arne is up against four other nature reserves: the species-rich freshwater Loch Druidibeg in the Hebrides, the disused colliery at Clara Vale in Tyne and Wear, the Rodley wetland reserve on the site of a former sewage works outside Leeds and, finally, another RSPB site at Ham Wall on the Somerset Levels. Tough competition, but RSPB Arne site manager Peter Robertson is confident that the reserve's unparalleled location and vital biodiversity will see it triumph.

"RSPB Arne is a magical place," Mr Robertson said. "It is home to some of the UK's rarest wildlife, from Dartford Warblers to ladybird spiders. Thousands of species call Arne their home. The reserve also offers fantastic views across Poole Harbour, and towards Corfe Castle and the Purbecks."

Voting is now open, and will close on Monday, March 5. Mr Robertson urged all those who know and love Arne to cast their vote in favour of the reserve, which they can do on the BBC Countryfile Magazine website: http://bit.ly/2DqOvhN; or by post, sending the form into the February issue of BBC Countryfile Magazine, 2nd floor, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol, BS1 3BN.

“We would love to win this award to help recognise the huge amount of effort put in by staff and volunteers since the RSPB first acquired the site in 1966. Arne’s fans did a fantastic job in nominating us, and we now hope that the people of Dorset vote RSPB Arne to win."