Lottery goes wild to offer green grants to UK groups

Communities across the UK are being encouraged to discover wildlife on their doorstep as the Big Lottery Fund prepares to plough £2 million of good cause cash into improving the environment through protecting and creating wildlife habitats for everyone to enjoy.

Launching on BBC’s Springwatch show this evening (8 June BBC Two at 8pm), BIG’s Community Wildlife funding programme will offer grants of between £300 and £10,000 to projects that bring communities together to improve or protect the natural environment by raising awareness of threatened wildlife or places.

Chris Packham, BBC Springwatch Presenter, said: "It’s wonderful that you can get out and celebrate and protect the wildlife in your local area through this fund. Apply today and get your whole community involved."

From bird, bat or badger watching, to creating nature trails, woodland walks and wildlife gardens, Community Wildlife will award grants to voluntary or community sector organisations, town and parish councils, schools and health bodies committed to bringing people together to learn about nature.

Projects that encourage people to get more active and healthier through exploring parks, rivers and the countryside to look for rare or endangered species, or that get people gardening or on nature walks, and those that encourage children to learn about nature through play will all benefit.

Sir Clive Booth, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund, said: "Community Wildlife is all about supporting projects that get people of all ages and backgrounds working together to improve and protect their local wildlife.

"We want this funding to have a real impact on improving local rural and urban environments across the UK through the protection of habitats and threatened wildlife. Now is the time of year that people get outside to enjoy the natural environment so I encourage everyone to get their applications in to help save our wildlife for future generations."

Declared International Year of Biodiversity by the UN, 2010 is the time for communities everywhere to think about their natural environment. Natural England’s Lost Life report shows that England has lost 492 species since 1800, including 24 per cent of butterflies and 22 per cent of amphibians, demonstrating the need for everyone to look after wildlife.

Application forms can be downloaded at http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/communitywildlife

Alternatively, call 0845 367 0610, or textphone 0845 602 1659. There are three deadlines for applications: 21 July, 22 September and 24 November 2010.

BIG has teamed up with Springwatch and the BBC Go Wild campaign as part of the Wild Season. Hundreds of Springwatch Wild Days Out have been taking place across the UK to give families the chance to learn about biodiversity. And on Sunday 20 June, Springwatch will host a special ‘Wild Night In’ extravaganza to raise cash for the BBC Wildlife Fund which supports threatened wildlife and wild places.

The launch of Community Wildlife also coincides with National Wildlife Week (double bill) which runs from May 29 to Sunday 13 June to celebrate the diversity of the UK’s natural heritage and to raise awareness of conservation issues.