Wetland wildlife gets boost from players of People’s Postcode Lottery
Wetland wildlife is to benefit from new developments at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) thanks to the generous support of players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Players of the charity lottery have awarded £175,000 to WWT, which was presented to WWT Chief Executive Martin Spray CBE last Tuesday (13 January).
The money will help the charity improve wetland homes for wildlife on its wild reserves and within its wildfowl collections from around the world, and get more people up close and learning about nature during 2015.
WWT Chief Executive Martin Spray CBE said on accepting the cheque:
“WWT’s ethos starts with the simple act of feeding a duck. That connection with nature is more special if you’re feeding the world’s rarest goose, saved from extinction by our experts. It’s even more special when you’re surrounded by some of the UK’s top wildlife at one of our world class Wetland Centres, carefully designed and managed so wildlife will flourish.
“Support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery will ensure that WWT goes from strength to strength this year, by making our Wetland Centres even better for wildlife, and helping even more people make that special connection with nature.”
Clara Govier, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery said:
“I am delighted that players of People’s Postcode Lottery are able to support that great work carried out by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. Support from players will ensure the improvement in reserves and ensure that even more people learn about wetland wildlife. This funding marks a great start to 2015 for the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.”
The new developments made possible by the support from players include:
- Making sure that everyone has to opportunity to connect with nature. WWT Welney Wetland Centre prides itself on enabling all visitors to experience amazing wildlife encounters. From the heated main hide with speakers and hearing loop used at swan feeds to the ramps, varied window heights and disabled access picnic benches found throughout the reserve, funding such as this means that we can maintain and improve these features for visitors.
- Stopping the extinction of endangered UK wetland wildlife is the theme of the Back from the Brink area at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire. Back from the Brink will be expanded to get WWT’s visitors up close to two of the UK’s most unusual and endangered wetland creatures – the eel and the crayfish. The European eel has a remarkable lifecycle that takes it from the Sargasso Sea to the upper reaches of the UK’s rivers and even overland, but its numbers have crashed in recent years and it is now nearing extinction. The white-clawed crayfish is the UK’s only native crayfish but its numbers have similarly crashed as it has been driven out by non-native species that have escaped into the wild.
- Play is an important part of learning. WWT’s Explore area at its London Wetland Centre in Barnes has been a model for learning about nature by having fun, since it first opened in 2006. This summer it will get a facelift that will help get more of WWT’s young visitors thinking about how they interact with the natural world.
Thanks to the flexible nature of the players’ financial support, all of WWT’s nine Wetland Centres and its new Steart Marshes reserve in Somerset will benefit during the year.
Martin Spray continued:
“We’re incredibly grateful to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for this opportunity and we hope to welcome many of them to our Wetland Centres throughout 2015.”
