"This new money from the Welsh Government and National Lottery players will help to both reconnect people with an often overlooked natural world, to create nature on their doorstep and protect that nature for years to come."

Baroness Kay Andrews, Deputy Chair of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Chair of the Wales Committee

The one-year programmes, worth over £4million, will enable local communities across Wales to get involved with restoring and enhancing nature including woodlands.

The two new community programmes are:

• Local Places for Nature 
• Community Woodlands 

Baroness Kay Andrews, Deputy Chair of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Chair of the Wales Committee, said: “This new money from the Welsh Government and National Lottery players will work hard to ensure Wales’ important natural heritage is restored and enhanced. It will help to both reconnect people with an often overlooked natural world, to create nature on their doorstep and protect that nature for years to come."

Local Places for Nature

The Local Places for Nature Capital Grant for Wales scheme supports projects designed and led by community groups and organisations to create, restore and enhance habitats in Wales. 

Applications are  open now and grants range between £10,000 and £100,000. The total available funding is £2.3million (updated 11 September 2020).

Activities could include:

• increasing community orchards, community growing and allotments
• planting street trees
• minimising the use of pesticides, fertilisers and peat-based compost
• changing land use to promote nature and reduce flooding
• increasing access to safe drinking water

Find out more and how to apply.

Community Woodlands

The Community Woodlands scheme will see people getting involved in creating a National Forest for Wales, bringing together linked-up woodlands and hedgerows. Communities will be able to use the funding for projects which restore, create, connect and manage woodlands in Wales.

Applications are open now until 21 October 2021 and the scheme will run until March 2022. Grants will range between £10,000 and £250,000. The total funding pot available is worth £2.1m.

Find out more and how to apply.

Making nature a priority

Baroness Andrews continued: "The National Lottery Heritage Fund has identified nature and landscapes as a priority in our Strategic Funding Framework, as we believe that looking after nature and helping people to understand its importance has never been more important.

"I look forward to hearing from applicants and to supporting many new projects in communities across Wales.”

“We are therefore delighted to be working in partnership with the Welsh Government and to be supporting the Local Places for Nature and Community Woodlands.

"I look forward to hearing from applicants and to supporting many new projects in communities across Wales.”