WIND FARM FRITS
DECEMBER 14th 2017
WIND FARM FRITS
BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION
£2,000 – MICRO FUND – FEB 2017
This application was thorough and well-presented, along with clear costings, looking at promoting conservation and environmental awareness. Regular news reports highlight the ongoing reducing numbers of butterflies due to climate impacts and as a result of habitat destruction. The 2016 Big Butterfly Count recorded its lowest number of common species since records began. Butterfly Conservation is the lead organisation in this field and has an active programme of work – both site based and educational. They regularly attend events, give lectures and talk to schools and produce a newsletter twice a year.
“Our own organisation is very appreciative of the opportunity to obtain new equipment with help from the Pen Y Cymoedd grant so that we can carry on. We believe that our projects add to the biodiversity of our environment and help to keep these threatened species to survive. By carrying out this work we are ensuring that the species will be available for future generations to enjoy, if they are so inclined. This year we saw a slight increase in the butterflies overall but at our most vulnerable sites there were quite dramatic increases.
At the Ger y Bont site at Hirwaun, where we only see one or two Marsh Fritillaries, we saw 6 this year. When we returned to do a larval web count in August we found 19 larval webs, the highest ever for this site. Also at this site; the owner stated that he had never seen the butterflies in all the twenty years he had lived there. He joined me when I went to survey the site and saw all six and managed to photograph some as well. He was overjoyed and took his children and his grand-children over to the fields to see them.” – Benjamin Williams Butterfly Conservation
LOCATION OF ACTIVITY: HIRWAUN
VALLEY: CYNON
The Fund was established by energy company Vattenfall to benefit the communities hosting the Pen y Cymoedd wind farm across the upper Neath, Afan, Rhondda and Cynon Valleys. It exists to support local people, groups and organisations to invest in themselves, their ideas and their communities.
The Community Fund has a substantial annual budget that is index-linked, meaning it increases in line with inflation. As an example, this equated to around £2.5 million in 2025. The Fund will continue to support communities until 2043, creating long-term opportunities for growth, resilience and positive change.
The Fund is managed by an independent, locally based not-for-profit Community Interest Company. It is overseen by a Board of Directors with strong local connections and delivered by a small but dedicated staff team with extensive community engagement experience. We are here to help ensure the Fund delivers on the vision and priorities of local communities.
Over the next 10 years, the Fund is focusing on investment in people, places and businesses — helping the Valleys to thrive, driving bold ideas, supporting transformation and creating lasting impact for current and future generations.