Most asked: James Winkworth, Head of Marketing and Income Generation
January 4, 2018
Send us your questions about a particular area of work in the National Park to newsletter@southdowns.gov.uk
Answering this month is: James Winkworth, Head of Marketing and Income Generation for the SDNPA.
Why does the National Park need a Trust – aren’t there other organisations already fundraising for the South Downs?
I often give the example of my father, who cares about the environment but isn’t an ardent conservationist. He’s not a natural donor to a wildlife charity but he loves walking on the hills and might be persuaded to support an organisation which seeks to protect them. In addition, people have already approached the National Park Authority in the past, wanting to leave a gift in their will to protect the South Down after they are gone. However, as a government body the SDNPA can’t offer the same tax incentives that a charity can. This also applies to gift aid which adds 25p to every £1 donated. Therefore, through the Trust we can both better attract donations and maximise their impact.
We will use this funding to support our partners to deliver shared projects benefiting the National Park and which wouldn’t happen without us. To put it bluntly there is a huge gap between the National Park’s current funding and the National Park Authority and partners ambitions for the South Downs – rough working suggest this is around £62m over the next 5 years.
How does the National Park Trust differ from the National Park Authority?
The National Park Authority established the Trust as a completely independent organisation governed by an independent board of trustees.
Since the two organisations share the same vision for the future of the National Park it is natural that they will work in partnership on many projects, alongside the many other organisations that work to protect our landscape such as The South Downs Society.
How much money is the Trust spending on administration?
The NPA have agreed to provide financial support and staff time to the Trust for at least the first three years, meaning that the money raised will be focused on delivering projects on the ground.
How much money has the Trust raised so far?
To date, we’ve raised nearly £87,000 supporting improvements to the South Downs Way, wheel chair friendly walking routes in the National Park and education travel grants, enabling those who live on the urban fringe to access outdoor learning opportunities within the South Downs.
Where will my money go?
Because all the administration costs are covered, any donations you make will go straight to projects. You can choose to make it unrestricted – meaning that it will go to the those that are most urgent– or give it directly to a specific campaign such as the Mend our Way, which is funding a number of vital repairs to the South Downs Way.
Can I get involved in fundraising?
If you’re interested in helping raise money for our Mend our Way campaign please get in touch, as we’d love your help – James.Winkworth@southdowns.gov.uk. You can also support the National Park by giving up your time to volunteer.
What do you actually do?
I’m employed by the National Park Authority but work on secondment to the Trust. My time is split in two. Half my time is spent meeting groups, communities and organisations within the National Park, who have ideas for projects but currently lack funds and the other half is spent meeting those organisations and individuals who may consider donating to the South Downs. It’s my job to match the two.
What are the big challenges for you and the Trust?
As a brand new trust and a relatively new national park our profiles aren’t as high as say, the Yorkshire Dales NP and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. We have a lot of work to do to raise our profile so that people know we exist and that they have the option to donate their charitable support to the South Downs.
Another big question is how we prioritise. There are so many things that we want to achieve and so many projects in need of funding and we need to consider which get delivered first.