The challenge is on! Can you be part of something big to help nature?

April 12, 2022

Did you know that for just £2.50 you could pay for a square metre of wildflower meadow to help bees and butterflies?

Or that your £10 could pay for two metres of new hedgerow, while £50 could pay for eight disease-resistant elm trees?

As Earth Day approaches on 22 April, a huge week-long nationwide effort to help the environment is launching as part of the Big Give.

Here in the South Downs, the National Park Trust is hoping to raise £5,000 – an amount that could then be match-funded to raise a whopping £10,000 to help nature.

But the clock will be ticking as the Trust will need to have raised £5,000 by midnight on 29 April for the fundraising to be doubled.

Funds will go towards the inspiring #ReNature initiative, which is aiming to create 13,000 hectares of new habitat to help wildlife flourish (an area over three times the size of Portsmouth!).

Sophie Ritson, who oversees fundraising for the Trust, said: “Earth Day is a really important day to focus everyone’s minds on what an amazing, but also incredibly fragile, planet we have. Earth gives us everything, from food, water and clean air to beautiful wildlife, and the Big Green Give is a way of showing our appreciation and giving back.

“The race is on to raise this vital cash in super-quick time and every penny really will make a big difference. It’s exciting to think that every donation we get can be doubled in value, allowing us to do even more than we normally would. We’re really hoping we can raise the £5,000 by 29 April that can then be doubled! Every donation will go towards helping wildlife flourish and creating a better, greener environment for both people and nature.”

To donate click here.