Wildlife-rich roadside verge at Ely Lodge
National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is one of the key sources of project income for Ulster Wildlife and has helped us to achieve many amazing things for people and wildlife over the years.
What is the National Lottery?
The National Lottery – and with it National Lottery funding for good causes like heritage, arts, sport and charities – was established in 1994. Every ticket sold contributes funds to good causes across the UK.
About the National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund distributes the heritage share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide variety of projects across the UK.
Since 1994, it has invested £8.8 billion in 51,000 heritage projects across the UK from restoring natural landscapes and rescuing neglected buildings to recording diverse community histories and providing life-changing training. In Northern Ireland, Ulster Wildlife projects supported by NLHF have helped to connect hundreds of people to nature, save precious wildlife-rich places such as wildflower meadows, and protect rare and endangered species.
How National Lottery Heritage Funding has helped us make a difference
New to Nature - Urban Green Spaces Assistant and Nature Reserves Assistant (2023 - 2024)
Two paid work placements in nature-focused roles to encourage young and diverse talent into the Natural Environment sector.
Urban Green Spaces Assistant - Awarded £18,122
Nature Reserves Assistant - Awarded £18,122
Nextdoor Nature (2022 - 2024)
A community organising approach to creating urban nature recovery networks
Awarded £123,900
Digital and Marketing Officer (2022 - 2025)
The recruitment of an entry level Digital and Marketing Officer for three years to promote engagement with nature and increase knowledge and care for local natural heritage.
Awarded £88,498 Funded by the Department of Communities through the National Lottery Heritage Fund
Building capacity to deliver Nature Recovery Networks (2020 - 2022)
A 18-month partnership project between Northern Ireland’s four largest natural heritage organisations Ulster Wildlife, RSPB NI, Woodland Trust and National Trust to produce the first set of ecological network maps for Northern Ireland and to advocate for the adoption of these maps into policy and practice.
Amount awarded: £145,300
Nature Skills Training Scheme (2018 - 2021)
A three-year project which delivered 21 full time and part-time traineeships aimed at developing skills and encouraging a more diverse natural heritage workforce in Northern Ireland.
Amount awarded: £399,600
Nature Skills Trainees fencing at Glendun Nature Reserve
Sea Deep (2018-2021)
Sea Deep a three-year programme to secure better protection for endangered skate, sharks and rays in Northern Irish waters, and to increase the level of understanding and participation among the wider public, by involving recreational angling groups, schools and local communities in conservation-focused data collection.
Amount awarded: £208,000
Red Squirrels United (2016 – 2019)
This project worked to protect and promote endangered red squirrels in Northern Ireland, as part of a UK-wide project led by The Wildlife Trusts.
Amount awarded: £340,824
Save Our Magnificent Meadows (2014 – 2017)
Save Our Magnificent Meadows aimed to protect and restore some of the remaining fragments of species-rich grasslands throughout Fermanagh and Tyrone, as part of a UK-wide project led by Plantlife.
Amount awarded: £281,562
Skills for Living Landscapes and Seas (2014 – 2017)
This hugely popular and successful project helped to provide comprehensive on-the-job training through 18 traineeships aimed at building capacity within the natural heritage sector in Northern Ireland.
Amount awarded: £356,400
Be There for Barn Owls (2013 – 2016)
Be There for Barn Owls focused on helping boost the fortunes of our much-loved but endangered barn owl by working with landowners, erecting nest boxes and conducting surveys across Northern Ireland to establish their distribution.
Amount Awarded: £89,500
(c) Jon Hawkins
Wildlife-rich roadside verge at Ely Lodge
Red squirrel (c) Christine Cassidy
Nature Skills Trainees fencing at Glendun Nature Reserve
(c) SSNTP