Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust has won a £10,000 Movement for Good award from Ecclesiastical Insurance Group.
Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust is one of 30 charities chosen by a panel of judges to receive £10,000 as part of specialist insurer Ecclesiastical’s Movement for Good awards, which is giving £1million to good causes this year.
The grant will fund natural flood management (NFM) works in the Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trusts’ Grenoside Woods nature reserve, an extensive site of ancient woodland occupying high ground north of Sheffield. NFM is a method of reducing the danger of flooding in times of heavy rainfall, an increasing risk of climate change. Heavy rain can overwhelm the streams which normally carry away excess water, causing flooding to occur lower down in the valleys.
A series of occasional ponds will be dug which will store excess water in times of heavy rain until the natural water system is able to cope with it. Leaky dams built into the watercourses will hold back excess rainwater and release it more gradually into the streams to prevent them from becoming overwhelmed. NFM is 100% natural, more effective than more intrusive modern methods of flood mitigation and will potentially benefit everyone who lives and works in the valley below.
Wildlife will benefit too. The ponds and dams will provide habitats for amphibians: frogs, toads and newts, and woodland ponds help insect populations to thrive, thus providing food for the abundant bird and bat populations of Greno Woods.
The awards are designed to help charities make a real difference in their communities. More than 1,000 charities applied for the funding and the winning projects were selected against four criteria: impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.
The funding will support the Greno Woods natural flood management works over the next three years.
Chris Grice, Fundraising Officer for Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust said,
“Thank you to the Movement for Good award from Ecclesiastical Insurance Group for this funding. Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust exists to conserve and protect wildlife and habitats and to connect and inform local people in conservation and biodiversity. We are looking forward to carrying out this natural flood management work in Greno Woods. It is a cost effective, natural, wildlife friendly approach to mitigating a flood risk which climate change looks set to increase in the years to come. ”
Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive at Ecclesiastical Insurance Group, said,
“At Ecclesiastical we believe business should be a force for good. Charitable causes need sustained support and a sense of financial stability. Through the second phase of our Movement for Good awards we are actively championing innovation, giving charities the backing they need to propel their plans forward and turn creative ideas into practical solutions that benefit society. We know that £10,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”
“Ecclesiastical, the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK, is a unique financial services group. We are owned by a charity which means all available profits can be given to the good causes that are so important to our customers. As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of our business.”
For more information visit: www.ecclesiastical.com/movementforgood