Run 4 Wales Climate Action Fund supports two new projects
Two Welsh sustainability organisations are the latest recipients of funding from the Run 4 Wales Climate Action Fund.
Keep Wales Tidy and Tir Natur have both been awarded £4,500 each to help with projects over the coming year.
The donation comes from funds from Run 4 Wales’ 2024 events and includes contributions from event organisers, participants and event partners. Those who opt out of receiving a race t-shirt at the finish line also see the monetary value contributed to the fund.
Applications opened earlier in the year for organisations to put themselves forward to receive funding. After careful review the two chosen recipients are:
Keep Wales Tidy
The charity is committed to working with local communities across Wales to protect the environment for now and for the future.
For over fifty years it has been leading the way for urban, rural, coastal, and business communities to value its surroundings and come together to improve the quality of the environment to benefit health, wellbeing, communities and local economies.
It does this by helping to eradicate litter and waste, creating and restoring green spaces, setting standards for environmental quality (eg Green Flag for Parks) and empowering young people.
The funding will help them in fulfilling requests from schools and communities who want to grow their own food and create local biodiversity habitats through creating resources and guidance.
It is hoped this support will reduce carbon emissions, promote biodiversity, increase resilience to climate change and promote sustainable practises all while improving health and wellbeing through providing fresh food and time spent outdoors.
Louise Tambini, Deputy Chief Executive for Keep Wales Tidy, said: “The demand we’ve seen for practical guidance on food growing highlights a real desire within our schools and communities to connect with nature, cultivate produce, boost biodiversity and learn valuable skills.
“Thanks to Run4Wales we will be able to create a range of exciting resources that address specific questions about planting and safety – details that can often be a barrier for beginners. This project will be a game changer in building knowledge and confidence, and we can’t wait to get started.”
Tir Natur
Tir Natur has established itself as a leading voice in advocating for a whole ecosystems approach to nature recovery in Wales.
Established in response to Nature’s rapid and continued decline, it aims to address the need to have bigger and better spaces for natures recovery, restoration and resilience. It also hopes to advance the education and the engagement of the public in the principles of ecosystem restoration.
Tir Natur are on the cusp of the purchase of what will be Wales’ largest ecological restoration site at 1200 acres, which funding from the Run 4 Wales Climate Action Fund will contribute to.
It will start restoration of the extensive 150 acres of peatbog and 9km of river to help lock in carbon, hold back water from flooding downstream communities and begin restoring biodiversity and abundance to this upland site.
Tash Reilly, a Trustee at Tir Natur, said: “We will use this generous donation to support our project to buy land in Wales for rewilding. Run 4 Wales’ support will enable us to breathe life back into this place and restore nature’s remarkable web of life, bring back wildlife and demonstrate benefits to people, rural economy and communities. This is more than a rewilding project – it is a cultural and ecological reset for future generations.”
Gareth Ludkin, Head of Sustainability at Run 4 Wales, said: “We’re so pleased to be able to award both Keep Wales Tidy and Tir Natur with donations from our Climate Action Fund. We were impressed by their applications outlining the work they’re undertaking and are delighted we’re able to help support them in achieving their goals.
“The Run 4 Wales Climate Action Fund was set up to help balance the impact of our events by supporting sustainable development projects and green initiatives and we’re so grateful to everyone who has helped contribute to it – since it was set up we’ve been able to donate more than £47,000. We continue to be committed to reducing our environmental impact and are continuously reviewing our procedures and looking for innovative ways to help us do this.”
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