Players of People’s Postcode Lottery support RSPB to harness the power of people to save nature

Thanks to funding raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, the RSPB is embarking on a new two-year initiative to empower the public to act for their local wildlife. Thanks to players of the lottery, the wildlife conservation charity has become the recipient of a £1Million award.

The funding will help the RSPB build People Power for Nature, by funding five RSPB projects in seven different towns and cities, home to millions of people across the UK. Collectively, the projects have been created to help urban communities across the UK to connect with nature and become part of collective efforts to protect it.

Projects include:

• People in Greater Manchester will have the opportunity to take part in volunteering, creative activities and an ongoing events programme, all with a focus on the iconic, but endangered, Swift.
   
• Meanwhile, in Glasgow, the RSPB will work with a diverse range of communities to connect and deepen their relationship with nature through co-designed activities, events and skills building, as well as facilitating visits to their nearest reserve for new and more diverse audiences, some of whom find accessing nature and the wider countryside more challenging. The more people connect with and experience nature, the more they will feel inspired to take action to save it.
   
• In Cardiff and the West Midlands, the RSPB will work with partners to develop ‘Nature Prescriptions’; an innovative way for primary healthcare professionals to prescribe nature as part of a patient’s treatment plan.  Nature Prescriptions have already been trialled in Scotland, where 74% of patients felt they benefitted from a nature prescription and 91% of prescribers said they would continue with nature prescriptions. New local and accessible Nature Prescription materials will be co-created with healthcare professionals and communities. The project will primarily focus on communities facing barriers which limit their access to nature.

• A two-year pilot project to develop a Species Volunteer Network in Scotland and Wales. The Network will work to empower volunteer teams working in communities across the UK through training and support to carry out direct, skilled, hands-on action to recover and conserve critically declining species, including wader species, such as Curlew in Glenlivet and Strathspey, and Black Grouse, Curlew and Chough in Wales. Around 200 volunteers will also help to provide advice to farmers looking to access government and other funding opportunities.
   
• Engaging with people living in urban areas across the UK and encouraging them to take part in the RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch, the UK’s largest garden-based citizen science project. As well as being a relaxing and fascinating activity, everyone involved plays an important role in helping conservationists build a valuable picture of how each species is faring and form a plan action to help native bird species.

Beccy Speight, Chief Executive of the RSPB, said: “We know that wildlife is fundamental to our wellbeing - you only need to witness a child spotting their first butterfly to realise this. And in towns, cities and communities across the length and breadth of the UK, nature rich green spaces give adults and children the space to improve our physical and mental health. From the clean air we breathe, to the animals we spot, to the parks we jog in – we know that when wildlife wins, so do we.

“Helping people to feel the benefits that nature brings and giving them the opportunity to connect with it in new ways, has never been more important. I’d like to say a huge thank you to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for their generosity and support. Together, through this funding, we will work to protect our precious wildlife and inspire people to become lifelong nature lovers.”

Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “I am delighted that players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised this incredible sum of money to support RSPB’s ‘People Power for Nature’ project. Players of the lottery are all across Great Britain, so it’s great to hear that the funding will impact communities North, South, East and West, allowing all our players to see firsthand the impact of their support.”