2. Memorandum submitted by
the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
NATIONAL LOTTERY FUNDING—NEW INQUIRY
I am sure that you are aware of the support
and help that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given to the Wildfowl
& Wetlands Trust in the creation of our London Wetland Centre.
The Centre has been open for three years and during that time
we have welcomed over three quarters of a million visitors, many
of them coming from underprivileged and ethnically targeted Boroughs
of London.
The Centre itself is a good example of the regeneration
of disused reservoirs into an environmental haven only six miles
from Westminster. The focus of our work at London is always people
orientated and our education programmes for all ages have been
applauded as being both innovative and inclusive.
As I explained above, the Heritage Lottery Fund
has been invaluable in supporting not only our work in London,
but also in Northern Ireland and at Welney, in the Fens. I was
therefore, disturbed when I read through your proposals for National
Lottery Funding and consider that some of the changes suggested
could make it considerably more difficult to deliver our objectives
as outlined above
I am particularly concerned that:
— It is planned to remove the interest
paid on the NLD fund, which is a significant sum that at present
goes back into heritage projects.
— There is a requirement to plan our
long-term conservation projects many years ahead and the need
to have a secure fund base is always vital if we are to succeed
in achieving the long-term outcomes of these works.
— We consider that there will be greater
instability caused by the removal of the non-committed money each
year, which will take us back to the old days of year-on-year
funding which does not allow for long-term planning of projects.
It is only possible with the support and help of the HLF that
we have been able to even consider some of the great heritage
developments that we have achieved in recent years.
I am sure that you recognise how important it
is for organisations such as the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
to strive towards maintaining, in fact improving, the environmental
Heritage of the UK. Not only do we feel it to be a laudable aim
in itself, but also it supports an overall heritage base, which
we all rely on so heavily for improving the rural economy, including
tourism and leisure initiatives.
Should any of you wish to visit the London Wetland
Centre, I would be delighted to show you around. There you can
see at first hand the positive effect that heritage money has
played in enhancing the value of life for so many people who might
otherwise not have had the opportunity to get any experience of
a living wetland or its wildlife. It is also a very enjoyable
experience, so I can recommend it.
21 December 2003
| 
