People's Postcode Lottery

People's Postcode Lottery is a charity lottery in Great Britain where players play with their postcodes to win cash prizes while raising money for charities. The support Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust has received from funding raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, and awarded through Postcode Planet Trust, has allowed us to carry out some invaluable work, enabling us to inspire the next generation of wildlife-lovers, take care of wonderful places for wildlife and support our many brilliant volunteers.

To find out more about how players of People’s Postcode Lottery support The Wildlife Trusts, click here.

Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have helped support the work of the Trust for many years, funding a huge array of different conservation activities, from woodland restoration to engaging young people with nature through art.

Previously, PPL funding enabled us to purchase a 4x4 vehicle which can cope with the varied terrain found on our nature reserves. The Mitsubishi truck has ample space for transporting materials and equipment necessary for maintenance work and habitat creation, while the extra seating allows us to be more inclusive in our volunteering opportunities (as we can offer transportation to volunteers who need it).

In addition, PPL funding was used to enable MWT to calculate our carbon footprint and to develop a Carbon Reduction Strategy and associated Action Plan, designed to reduce our day to day emissions as much as we can, to strive to meet our target of net zero by 2030.

In 2022, players of the People's Postcode Lottery have provided us with funding to help conserve one of Montgomeryshire's most precious species, the Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly. Specifically, the money paid for an Engagement Officer to work on our Pathways for Pearls project to highlight the butterfly and its importance in the Welshpool area, and to speak with local landowners about what they can do to help this rare species.

In 2023/24, support from players helped us to fund part of a mix of on the ground conservation work and community engagement. Funding supported surveys on reserves and weekly habitat management volunteer work parties at Cors Dyfi over winter. The funded community engagement work enabled us to run several family sessions out in nature, and to support community groups to take action for wildlife in their area.

The following year, funding raised by players will again help us to fund wildlife surveys on our reserves, specifically Hazel Dormouse surveys, and community action in the local area, with a specific focus on the Common Swift.

In 2025/26, funding raised by players has helped fund wildlife surveys on our reserves, volunteer work parties, talks and in-depth blogs. 

We’ve counted autumn crocus at Llanmerewig Glebe Nature Reserve, carried out a Dragons and Damsel(flie)s survey and a breeding bird survey at Welshpool Golf Club, and held a Moth Night at Deri Woods. Staff member Lowri Geddes was able to complete her dormouse survey training ready to apply for a licence. Members of the public joined in a rapid grassland assessment at Llandinam Gravel nature reserve on National Meadows Day. We’ve surveyed the condition of the SSSI grassland features at Ty Brith Nature Reserve and held a mini bioblitz at Severn Farm Pond.

We led a guided walk and picnic for Roundton Hill nature reserve’s 25^th anniversary. Members of CLA Cymru enjoyed a talk at Welshpool Golf Club which highlighted solutions to the challenges facing nature in the wider countryside. The subsequent walk around the golf club, where land between the fairways is managed for nature in partnership with MWT, demonstrated how nature and business can go hand-in-hand.

Conversation Officer Tammy Stretton inspired WI members with a talk on ‘Taking action for nature and climate’ which she also shared in a social media post for the wider community. 

Writing blog posts enables us to dig deeper into fascinating topics. We explored naturalistic woodland planting – an alternative approach to woodland creation, the joys of coppice flora and the importance of grazing for flower-rich meadows, ahead of a new grazing regime at one of our reserves. 

Behind the scenes, staff have been able to spend time creating a roadmap for Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust to achieve Carbon Net Zero by 2030 and contributed expertise to Powys Nature Partnership, a key delivery tool for the Welsh Government to achieve its goal of protecting 30% of land for nature by 2030 and consequently our own target of 30% of Montgomeryshire for nature by 2030.