FOR years, campaigners fought to save Radley Lakes from being filled in with ash from the furnaces at Didcot power station.

Then in 2008, they received the news that energy company RWE npower had decided not to go ahead with their plans.

Now conservationists are hoping to landscape the area and improve access for the public, including the disabled.

And they need the votes of viewers of ITV’s People’s Millions, to help them win £50,000 worth of funding from the National Lottery.

The Northmoor Trust, which is planning to carry out the work, has reached the final of the TV programme, thanks to its plans to open up the beauty spot, protect wildlife and boost access.

A public vote which opens at 9am on Monday will decide whether the trust’s inspired vision for one of the pools – Thrupp Lake, a flooded former gravel pit – becomes a reality.

Dr Peter Harbour, 71, a retired physicist from South Avenue, Abingdon, who was part of the Save Radley Lakes campaign, said: “I wish the trust all the best. We always thought a wildlife reserve was a very good prospect for Thrupp Lake.

“Twelve hundred trees were cut down in 2007 but fortunately the wildlife has already re-established itself.”

Harry Barton, chief executive of the Northmoor Trust, said: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity. Places like Thrupp Lake have a vital role to play in our lives.

“We have a vision to turn the site into something that the local community will be proud of for years to come.”

Jayne Manley, director of development for the trust, added: “If we win People’s Millions, we will be able to regenerate the area.

“Project plans include a multi-sensory art trail, a water garden featuring a water wheel, reedbed, den building area and wheelchair-accessible viewing platform.

“If people vote for us, they will be voting to open up this wonderful lake and its shores.”

Ms Manley said the trust was competing against a Dorset music therapy project called Coda Music Trust.

The Northmoor Trust project, Thrupp Lake: Mystery and Magic, is competing for votes in the Meridian West TV region.

Voting takes place between 9am and midnight, with the phone number announced on the day via peoplesmillions. org.uk.

Members of the public can vote up to 10 times on any phone wherever they live in the UK.

The Northmoor Trust is a registered charity working to promote the links between land, people and ecology and is based at Little Wittenham.