Celebrating 10 years of support
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF SUPPORT
Last week saw a first for WREN, when the company provided much more than money to a project – employee’s put their own time into it. On Thursday last week, WREN gave a combined amount of over 100 volunteer hours to Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT), to assist in clearing scrubland from around an old pond at NWT New Buckenham common. WREN staff came from far and wide across England, Scotland and Wales, to join in a team-building volunteering event, which also served to celebrate 10 years of grant support to the NWT.
Based in Bridgham, WREN is quite close to New Buckenham nature reserve and NWT had identified it as being a suitable site for this partnership event. WREN celebrated its own 10 year anniversary last year, and reached the amazing amount of £100million distributed to over 4,000 projects. In those 10 years, £300k has been awarded to 16 various NWT projects in the county, including the provision of a cattle corral at this nature reserve. The largest to receive support was NWT Grimston Warren, near Kings Lynn, which received £50k last year towards NWT’s current heathland reclamation project.
Peter Cox, WREN Managing Director said “Although we are based in Norfolk we have field staff that live in the areas they service and this opportunity to work as a team with a single objective in mind was too good to miss. The added benefit is that this has allowed us to see a project through the eyes of the volunteer rather than the funder and we will certainly take home something more than just scratches!“
But time is always said to be a most precious commodity and one that money just can’t buy, and in giving this vast number of volunteer hours to the NWT, it has meant that a large area of scrubland was cleared around the pond in just one day.
Alan Chapman, Fundraising Manager for Norfolk Wildlife Trust said “NWT has enjoyed a sustained relationship with WREN resulting in significant funding for wildlife and people in Norfolk. The WREN team are a great bunch of people and they worked hard to gain the utmost from this mutually beneficially event. The result was a good time had by all and some real gains for Norfolk Wildlife. My hope is that their muscles were not too painful the next day!”
New Buckenham nature reserve comprises 37 hectares of grassland and scrub. The south end of New Buckenham Common connects with the Tas Valley Way, and it supports many species including cuckoo flower, meadowsweet and cowslip. NWT cares for over 50 nature reserves and other protected sites around the county.
WREN provides grants under the Landfill Communities Fund (formally known as the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme) to improve community life by enhancing existing facilities as well as providing new facilities, including play areas, village and church halls, community centres, nature reserves, skate parks and multi use games areas. In addition historic and religious buildings can also receive funding for restoration work. In 2007 WREN distributed over £600,000 of grants to 41 projects in Norfolk, including two to NWT projects.
Organisations and community groups requiring funding for potential projects should visit www.wren.org.uk to assess their eligibility or contact WREN on 01953 717165 for more information.
ENDS
For further information regarding the WREN Grant Scheme in Norfolk, please contact Sarah Gosling on 07920 046832
For further information about Norfolk Wildlife Trust contact Rebecca Worsfold on 01603 598330
