By buying National Lottery tickets over the last 21 years, people across the country have made an incredible difference to the UK’s heritage. In particular, they have helped the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) invest more than £1billion in projects that help protect and nurture our precious natural heritage.

Thanks to National Lottery players:

• over £750 million has helped regenerate more than 700 of the UK’s historic public parks – that’s an area the size of 28,000 rugby pitches!
• our breath-taking landscapes – Windermere in Cumbria to Gower in South Wales; the Inner Forth on the urban fringe of Edinburgh to the remote beauty of the Suffolk heritage coast – have been protected
• over 2,300 projects have been given funding to raise awareness of, and conserve, threatened habitats and species,  such as the black grouse and horseshoe bat
• over 72,000 hectares of land has been bought and restored
• many hundreds of children have been able to get hands-on at over 650 new pond dipping areas, outdoor classrooms and other new spaces for learning
• natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland and the Jurassic coast in the West Country have been transformed
• an amazing range of species in the UK, including bumblebees, water voles, natter-jack toads, horse-shoe bats, great-crested newts, basking sharks, black grouse, red-kites, and the majestic sea-eagle, have all been protected

Drew Bennellick, Head of Landscape and Natural Heritage at HLF, said: “The UK’s natural heritage is in a better position today thanks directly to National Lottery players. Through playing the National Lottery, more of our native wildlife, iconic landscapes, public parks and delicate habitats and ecosystems are protected so future generations will enjoy and benefit from them as as we do today.”

Join us on Twitter to celebrate the difference National Lottery players have made to the UK’s natural heritage @heritagelottery.