£20 million for climate action

Players of People’s Postcode Lottery will be supporting climate action with an extra £20 million of funds.

The initiative, Postcode Climate Challenge, sees 12 charities benefiting from funds generated by players of People’s Postcode Lottery channelled into projects that will focus on making a difference to the planet. The Wildlife Trusts, WWF, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace are among those receiving funding.

Players of People’s Postcode Lottery raise money for charities and good causes and have contributed over £127 million to environmental organisations already.

As part of Postcode Climate Challenge, players will also be encouraged to get involved in one small challenge each month to help the environment and raise awareness of some of the everyday issues impacting the planet.

Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: "For 15 years our players have been supporting environmental charities, and we’ve seen significant impacts from the work of those charities in that time.

"But more needs to be done urgently, which is why an additional £20 million in funding will specifically support climate action this year. The charities are experts in their fields and cover many areas of the climate crisis."

Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have been supporting areas of The Wildlife Trusts since 2008, and for the first time funding will support every regional Wildlife Trust across Britain, and be used for projects specifically aiming to have a positive impact on our environment and consequently on our climate.

The money will be used to fund nature restoration projects which will halt emissions from degraded land and maximise carbon storage through natural processes, locking up carbon in our peatlands, meadows, wetlands and at sea.

Wild habitats have a huge role to play in addressing climate change. A hectare of saltmarsh, for example, can capture two tonnes of carbon a year and lock it into sediments for centuries, but we are losing nearly 100 hectares of saltmarsh a year.

Craig Bennett, chief executive at The Wildlife Trusts, said: "We’re extremely excited that funding raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery will enable us to restore more places for nature. Wilder places are better for beavers, birds and butterflies and better for storing carbon too – which is good news for tackling climate change. When you re-wet a peatland and stop it from drying out, it locks up vast amounts of carbon. This new fund means The Wildlife Trusts can make this happen on a huge scale. Thank you to every single player for supporting this vital work to help save our planet."

Charities promoting lotteries that are part of the Postcode Climate Challenge initiative are:
• African Parks
• Canal and River Trust
• ClientEarth
• Ellen MacArthur Foundation
• Fauna and Flora International
• Friends of the Earth
• Greenpeace
• The Ramblers
• WaterAid
• The Wildlife Trusts
• Woodland Trust
• WWF

Image: Dom Hinchley

Thanks to the funding players raise the Postcode Climate Challenge initiative total is now £24 million.