Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is delighted to announce it has secured £498,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a new three year project called Wild Connections.
Wild Connections is an innovative project which aims to increase visitors to the Trust’s nature reserves through better accessibility and raised awareness of the natural heritage right on our doorsteps.
Wild Connections will focus on 15 of the Trust’s key nature reserves chosen because of their proximity to local communities and natural heritage. The Trust will work with local people and a number of partners to widen the audience they can currently reach.
There will be an exciting new programme of events, increased volunteering activities and new volunteer training opportunities to encourage people to find out more about the natural world and care for their local nature reserve. The Trust will also be able to undertake a range of improvements and enhancements to increase access to these special reserves for everyone.
Michele Gard, fundraising manager for the Trust said, “We’re delighted the Heritage Lottery Fund has generously supported our Wild Connections project.
“Wild Connections is an innovative and important new project for the Trust. We will now be able to increase and encourage access to nature for everyone, including groups that historically may not spend time in the countryside. This funding greatly enhances the work the Trust does and takes us another step closer to achieving our aims of enabling everyone to access their natural heritage.”
The Heritage Lottery Fund support will enable a wider range of people to learn about their natural heritage, develop new skills and build confidence, take an active part in their natural landscape’s management and protection, and enjoy the benefits of spending time outside. The Trust will launch Wild Connections in the Spring 2015.