The National Lottery: Habitats of Hope

Habitats of Hope celebrates the lesser-known UK species that have been saved through the incredible work of different organisations with the support of National Lottery funding.

Journey through heathland, forest, marshland, and coastal habitats, learning about the UK’s lesser-known endangered species, from the White-Tailed Eagle to the Snowdon Rainbow Beetle and many more. Each one of these has been reimagined by artist Georgia Tucker to create this immersive exhibition celebrating the biodiversity of the landscape.

Organisations dedicated to preserving our native species include Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, Bat Conservation Trust, Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, RSPB,  The Wildlife Trusts, Plantlife and the Marine Conservation Society.

Every week, National Lottery players raise around £30 million for good causes across the UK and since 1994 The National Lottery Heritage Fund has given almost £2bn to support more than 4,600 land, nature and biodiversity projects.

Step into a world of harmony, where every creature plays a crucial role in the UK’s diverse ecosystem.

Further information on The National Lottery beneficiaries featured in the exhibition:

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation

ARC (Amphibian and Reptile Conservation) was established in 2009 to help the wider needs of all reptile and amphibian conservation, looking after the likes of the Northern Race Sand Lizard and Natterjack Toad. As part of ‘Adder Action’ ARC distributed National Lottery funding of £4 million to projects such as Species on the Edge, helping most threatened amphibians and reptiles.

Bat Conservation Trust

Bat Conservation Trust operates across the UK and Europe, running a diverse range of projects, such as ‘Connecting People and Landscapes in a Changing Climate’ and ‘Bats in Churches’ to conserve bat populations since 1991, since receiving funding by the National Lottery.

Buglife

Buglife is the only organisation in Europe devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates actively working to save some of the rarest little animals which includes bees, beetles, and worms. As part of ‘Back from the Brink’ project, Buglife has used £145,500 of National Lottery funding to preserve the population of the Narrowheaded Ant, which is only found on two sites in the UK and to significantly improve the population of the Ladybird Spider, which has grown from 100 at one site to 19 a decade later.

Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Bumblebee Conservation Trust aims to support the conservation of all forms of bumblebees, whether rare or abundant, whilst also raising awareness and understanding about species and the social, economic, environmental, and cultural benefits which they provide. As part of its ‘Species on the Edge’ campaign, it used £650,000 from the National Lottery specifically towards their work to preserve the population of the Great Yellow Bumblebee.

RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)

RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) used funding to across a number of projects to help protect the bird and insect species. RSPB has received £2.7 million of National Lottery funding which has been distributed across a total of 43 projects, using £199,565 to help partly support their Curlew project and £235,900 towards the Seeview’s project including Nature Am Byth and Project Puffin among many others.

The Wildlife Trusts

The Wildlife Trusts is made up of 46 individual trusts with over 900 members. Their South and West Wales contingents manage habitats which include Wales’ second largest ancient woodland, 110 nature reserves and four islands. As part of the ‘Red Squirrels United’ project, it used £158,600 of National Lottery funding to develop their Northumberland team which included a full conservation plan, exploring a methodology around squirrel fertility control and developing partner and audience engagement materials.

Ulster Wildlife

Ulster Wildlife is a charity set up by volunteers to help preserve native wildlife in Northern Ireland. The charity has been supporting a range of threatened wildlife including barn owls, red squirrels and skate for over 40 years. Ulster Wildlife as part of the ‘Sea Deep’ project used £208,000 of National Lottery funding to help safeguard the future of Northern Ireland’s endangered sharks, skates and rays by working with sea anglers, schools, and local communities.