National Lottery Open Week: #ThanksToYou

Since 1994 the RSPB has received vital support from the National Lottery which raises £32million for Good Causes every week. This has enabled us to do more to protect nature, save wildlife and connect people to the natural world across the UK.  

It’s #ThanksToYou, National Lottery players, that some of our most ambitious projects have been possible. To show our appreciation, we’d like to offer National Lottery players the chance to enjoy some of the wild hidden gems found on our nature reserves.

Across the UK, 22 RSPB nature reserves are offering a range of free activities for visitors who present a valid National Lottery ticket or scratchcard. From wetland wonders and woodland walks to cosy cafés and seabird cities, they’re a great place for family flocks and solo flyers to switch off and connect with nature.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has supported a wide range of RSPB projects over the last 30 years, including:

• Whose Hoo Project, led by Medway Council, driving landscape-scale heritage conservation and unlocking the social and economic potential in the Hoo Peninsula, Kent, England.
• In Northern Ireland, funding to support conservation on Rathlin Island through the LIFE Raft programme is helping to protect the island’s seabirds, including Puffins. 
• Funding from the Welsh Government, through the Heritage Fund Nature Networks programme, has been a catalyst for a major peatland restoration programme.  
• In Scotland, the groundbreaking Orkney Native Wildlife Project aims to safeguard the unique and internationally important native wildlife of Orkney. It does this by removing the invasive, non-native Stoat population, which seriously threatens many species.   

Much of the funding has also supported us to empower individuals, local communities and RSPB local groups to connect and save nature where they are.

This includes the Nature Neighbourhoods Programme, a partnership between the National Trust, RSPB, WWF, National Lottery Community Fund and Co-op, which supports communities to co-design an action plan for nature in their neighbourhoods. 

Get your ticket or scratchcard at the ready and check out the RSPB nature reserves taking part below.

Terms and conditions apply; please refer to reserve offers for more information. Pre-booking is required for some events and numbers are limited.