Norfolk County Council has selected Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) to become its first Charity for the year at the council's Reuse Shops – the shops based at seven recycling centres where people can donate and buy good quality household items.
The move means that from June 1
st 2016, Norfolk Wildlife Trust will receive 5% of the proceeds from the shops which will be used to support the Trust’s conservation work on more than 50 NWT nature reserves across Norfolk, including habitat restoration, education, land acquisition, and advocacy.
The initiative is expected to generate between £5,000 and £10,000 of funding over the year for the NWT which could be used as follows:
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£5,000 - 20 school field trips to NWT reserves, letting children discover the some of the county’s wildest locations.
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£7,000 - seven British White cattle, which graze nature reserves sensitively to protect rare plants
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£10,000 – help restoration of scarce ancient Norfolk woods, home to native bluebells and butterflies
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£25,000 - help acquire vital land in Norfolk, restore habitats and save wildlife for the future
NWT Chief Executive, Brendan Joyce said “We're extremely pleased to have been selected as the first charity to benefit from this new scheme by the County Council, particularly in our 90
th anniversary year. Norfolk Wildlife Trust holds a passionate belief that the wildlife of Norfolk deserves a healthy landscape in which to thrive and that the people of Norfolk deserve the same. The money raised through reuse shops will help us achieve these aims through our conservation work and events and activities for all.”
Jenny Cross, Waste Reduction Officer at Norfolk County Council said: "Our new Charity for the year scheme is designed to support the vital work of charities working in our local communities by providing a source of additional funding over a 12 month period. We also hope it will encourage more people to use our Reuse Shops and prevent more items that people don't want any more being needlessly thrown away.
“Norfolk Wildlife Trust was chosen this year because of the scope and scale of the work they do across our county and their commitment to work with us to promote our Reuse Shops through their network of members and stakeholders.
'We hope to work with more Norfolk charities in the same way over the coming years."
Martin Wilby, Chairman of Norfolk County Council’s Environment, Development and Transport Committee added: “People buying and donating goods at our Reuse Shops are doing a fantastic job for the environment by stopping those items being thrown away and wasted.They will also be getting a great bargain for the items they buy.
“Now, with 5% of their donation going to NWT they will also be directly helping to conserve Norfolk’s local environment by supporting the fantastic schemes they run across our county. And obviously, the more donations we receive, and the more items people buy from the shops, more funding they’ll generate for the Trust.
“These are three excellent reasons for residents to use our Reuse Shops as much as possible.”