Two organisations to receive funding to boost biodiversity
Keep Wales Tidy and Tir Natur have received the funds from the Run 4 Wales Climate Action Fund.
The donations will support their ongoing projects.
Both organisations were selected for their commitment to environmental conservation and restoration.
Keep Wales Tidy's funding will help fulfil requests from schools and communities wanting to grow their own food and create local biodiversity habitats.
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."
Tir Natur is set to purchase what will be Wales' largest ecological restoration site at 1,200 acres, with a focus on the restoration of peatbogs and rivers.
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.
"This is more than a rewilding project—it is a cultural and ecological reset for future generations."
The Run 4 Wales initiative was established to support sustainable development and green initiatives across Wales.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
15 hours ago
- Leader Live
Wrexham MS welcomes the new ban on single use vapes
MS for Wrexham A significant change in the law came into effect at the beginning of this month relating to disposable vapes. Since 1st June, it has been illegal for businesses in the UK to sell or supply single use vapes. The aim of the ban is to reduce the environmental harm caused by their production and incorrect disposal. Keep Wales Tidy estimates that over the course of just one year, 360,000 single use vapes are littered on the ground in Wales, while 120,000 are flushed down the toilet. Retailers caught breaking the law face a fine and a possible prison sentence for repeat offences. To be clear, it isn't illegal to own a disposable vape after 1 June. Customers can still return them, and retailers have an obligation to get rid of them. They can also be taken to a local authority recycling centre to be disposed of safely. Single use vapes create litter and plastic pollution and I welcome this ban as it will help stop the serious harm these products cause to our wildlife and environment. Anyone looking to do a spot of walking this week may want to take part in this year's Wrexham Walking Festival. As well as promoting the natural beauty and history of North East Wales, the annual event encourages people to venture outdoors and live healthier lifestyles. From Saturday 7th through to Sunday 15th June, a series of free walks are taking place exploring our region's scenic landscape and people of all ages and abilities are welcome to join in. Walks are graded depending on difficulty. Harder walks are at least 6 miles in length and will cross rough ground so walkers require a good level of fitness. There are also shorter, less strenuous walks so there is something to suit everyone. Over the years, the festival has attracted walkers from across the UK to visit our region. Last year more than 550 people took part and as a long-time supporter of the event, I hope this year's will be the most successful yet. Further information can be found on the website – – or by contacting the Wrexham Visitor Information Centre on Chester Street. As always, if you're a constituent in Wrexham and there is an issue I could help you with, please contact me via email: or call 01978 355743. You can also keep up to date by following me on 'X' (Twitter) and Facebook, just search @lesley4wrexham.
South Wales Argus
29-05-2025
- South Wales Argus
Two organisations to receive funding to boost biodiversity
Keep Wales Tidy and Tir Natur have received the funds from the Run 4 Wales Climate Action Fund. The donations will support their ongoing projects. Both organisations were selected for their commitment to environmental conservation and restoration. Keep Wales Tidy's funding will help fulfil requests from schools and communities wanting to grow their own food and create local biodiversity habitats. 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." Tir Natur is set to purchase what will be Wales' largest ecological restoration site at 1,200 acres, with a focus on the restoration of peatbogs and rivers. 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. "This is more than a rewilding project—it is a cultural and ecological reset for future generations." The Run 4 Wales initiative was established to support sustainable development and green initiatives across Wales.
North Wales Live
15-05-2025
- North Wales Live
North Wales no longer has a single beach with Blue Flag status
North Wales has lost its only Blue Flag beach and people are being advised not to swim at another nearby in 2025. The Blue Flag accolade is awarded annually to bathing beaches that meet certain criteria such as water quality, safety and site management. Last year, Prestatyn Central in Denbighshire was the region's only beach to display a Blue Flag, highlighting its 'exceptional' qualities. It was among 24 Blue Flag beaches in Wales, with all the others south of Borth, Ceredigion. But there was disappointing news for the resort's residents and visitors with the release of this year's Wales Coast Awards 2025, organised by Keep Wales Tidy. Despite its popularity with watersports enthusiasts, the status of Prestatyn Central has been downgraded. Instead, the four-mile beach has been handed a yellow and blue flag marking it out as the winner of a Seaside Award. Bestowed on beaches that are clean, attractive and well-managed, this accolade highlights good rather than exceptional standards. Also collecting a Seaside Award was nearby Rhyl East beach, another long and beautifully sandy beach. However Rhyl Central beach, winner of the same award in 2024, was not listed this time. Last year, Rhyl Central's water quality was downgraded from 'sufficient' to 'poor' – the legacy of some disappointing sampling results in 2021. It was the only North Wales beach that failed to reach the minimum water quality standards. This means Denbighshire Council is obliged to warn people not to bathe there until water quality improves. The local authority expects this will happen in 2026. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now As recently as 2021 there were 17 beaches in North Wales with Blue Flag status. Numbers nosedived the following year, leaving Prestatyn Central as the region's sole flag bearer. This was despite 30 glorious beaches in Gwynedd, Anglesey and Conwy that could potentially qualify for the award. In 2022, a new rule was introduced by Keep Wales Tidy requiring local councils to employ external risk assessors rather than carrying out in-house assessments. Given the extra cost and red tape involved, local authorities in northwest Wales dropped out of the scheme. Only Denbighshire Council persisted, and by December 2024 it was already aware it would be losing its last Blue Flag beach. In a 2024 report, the local authority said: 'Unfortunately, following some elevated sample results this season, Prestatyn has dropped a classification and will now be classified as a 'good' bathing water. 'As the Blue Flag status requires 'excellent' water quality as one of the criteria, Prestatyn will not retain its Blue Flag in 2025.' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Efforts will be renewed to return Prestatyn Central to Blue Flag status and the council believes Prestatyn's Barkby Beach could one day join it. However the prospects for Rhyl's beaches look bleaker. A report to Denbighshire Council's Partnerships Scrutiny Committee said: 'It will be difficult for Rhyl to ever achieve Blue Flag status, given the proximity of the River Clwyd and its estuary, which is the main issue in terms of bathing water quality. 'Sewerage outfalls are one of two major factors that can impact on water quality. The Clwyd Valley is also farmed intensively, and livestock access to streams can be a significant source of bacteria which impacts on water quality. 'The bigger issue for Rhyl is not the inability to achieve Blue Flag status, it is that Rhyl Central will now be classified as a 'poor' bathing water for 2025 following a number of elevated sample results this season. This means that people must be advised not to bathe in that area until the classification returns to 'sufficient'." The issues affecting Rhyl Central beach are not as prevalent for Rhyl East, which is further away from the River Clwyd and its estuary. Stretching from the resort's lifeboat station towards Splash Point, Rhyl East has retained its 'good' water quality status – one reason why it has again been awarded a Seaside Award this year. A huge amount of work has been undertaken already to reduce the polluting effects of the River Clwyd. In 2023/24, eight separate projects were completed to help restrict livestock access, including more than 5,000 metres of fencing and 27 new water troughs for cattle.
