Staff at local Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) Visitor Centre, Falls of Clyde, welcomed a famous face to the wildlife reserve today (6 August) to celebrate SWT receiving another big cash boost from Scotland’s own charity lottery, the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Reanne Farley, People’s Postcode Lottery Street Prize Presenter, visited the Falls of Clyde to mark her new role as ambassador for the People’s Postcode Lottery. As a celebrity face, Farley will help promote Scotland’s own charity lottery, which divides cash prizes between players in postcode areas while helping worthy causes across Scotland.
40p from each ticket sold by the People’s Postcode Lottery goes direct to great Scottish causes including SWT.
Today Farley presented a cheque for £241,378, meaning the charity has received almost £654,000 in unrestricted funding to date to help with their work protecting wildlife in Scotland.
SWT’s Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre Manager, Lyndsay Mark said: “In only 20 months, the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery lottery have raised thousands for SWT – a contribution which is set to help the Trust continue its varied work to protect Scotland’s wildlife, including leading pioneering projects to reintroduce beavers to the wild and save the red squirrel, as well as maintaining over 120 wildlife reserves across Scotland and engaging communities with the natural environment.
“For Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre and Wildlife Reserve, the partnership with the People’s Postcode Lottery has meant that we can maintain and expand our programme of events and activities like badger watching, guided walks and fungal forays. Since April this year, nearly 300 school children have visited the centre and 9,800 people have seen the peregrines from the viewing hide.
“We welcome the People’s Postcode Lottery here today and hope they enjoy visiting the centre, where our peregrine falcons can still be seen flying and diving in the waters below the waterfalls and interactive displays can explain more about other local wildlife including otters, badgers, and kingfishers.”
Reanne Farley, the new Charities Ambassador for the People’s Postcode Lottery said: “The People’s Postcode Lottery’s is proud of its support of the Scottish Wildlife Trust. The organisation does many great things to protect precious wildlife across Scotland, and really helps people enjoy wildlife within their postcode area.
“The Lottery is an innovative way to help your local neighbourhood reap good fortune. I’m so excited about my new role as ambassador- It’s fantastic to surprise our winners with huge cheques but even better to see the incredible impact their support has upon Scottish charities like SWT.”
SWT is the largest voluntary body working for all the wildlife or Scotland. For more information on SWT or to become a member, visit www.swt.org.uk
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PHOTO CAPTION:
Reanne Farley, the People’s Postcode Lottery’s charities ambassador, visiting SWT’s Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre on 6 August 2009 © Gareth Easton
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. SWT operates three visitor centres around Scotland: Falls of Clyde, New Lanark; Loch of the Lowes, Perthshire; and Montrose Basin, Angus. More information can be found at www.swt.org.uk
2. SWT is the largest voluntary body working for all the wildlife of Scotland, representing more than 35,000 members who care for wildlife and the environment. SWT seeks to raise public awareness of threatened habitats and species and manages over 120 reserves Scotland-wide.
3. SWT’s Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve receives around 70,000 visitors per year and the visitor centre welcomes around 20,000 visitors who can see the peregrines in real time thanks to CCTV.
4. The People’s Postcode Lottery is the lottery for charities in Scotland. Launched in November 2007, PPL represents a unique fundraising concept where players play with their postcode to win cash prizes whilst supporting local Scottish charities. 40p from each ticket sold goes direct to charity in Scotland. To date SWT have received nearly £640,000 from PPL which helps maintain the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s network of over 120 reserves across Scotland.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Clara Govier, Head of Communications, SWT
Tel: 0131 312 4747