In 2022, we have continued our support with the RSPB. Throughout 2021, we donated funds for important restoration work at RSPB reserves at Haweswater in the Lake District and Glenborrodale in Scotland. For every booking our customers made, we pledged funds that enabled increased planting and seeding of trees and wildflowers as well as measures to allow trees and native plants to thrive again. In 2022, we are continuing to support the RSPB with vital regeneration, and restorative projects at three locations, Glenborrodale, Gwenffrwd Dinas in Wales, and Franchises Lodge in Dorset. Through our partnership, the RSPB can support the revival of key habitats for birds and wildlife, protecting endangered and rare species of trees, plants, lichens, insects, fungi, and more, whilst capturing carbon.
Read all about the RPSB projects to which we have donated in 2021 and some handy blogs about where to find our favourite RSPB reserves, and best times of year to birdwatch.
RSPB Glenborrodale, Scotland
Throughout 2021 and into 2022, our support of the RSPB Glenborrodale reserve will help to restore and regenerate some of Scotland’s temperate rainforest. The rainforest supports many native species of trees such as oak, rowan, aspen, hazel, holly, birch, and ash. RSPB Glenborrodale is home to a vast array of lichens, mosses, and a whole ecosystem. Ensuring the rainforest is able to naturally regenerate is a very important aspect for ensuring this important area survives for future generations to enjoy.
RSPB Glenborrodale
RSPB Gwenffrwd Dinas, Wales
The woodlands in and around the RSPB Gwenffrwd Dinas reserve are a key part of the chain of Western Atlantic Oak Woodlands along the west coast and Wales. These primarily oak woodlands support internationally important communities of plants and lichens as well as rare species of birds and mammals such as pied flycatcher, lesser spotted woodpecker, pine marten, and red squirrel. Over recent decades the woodlands have been affected by a range of issues including both under and overgrazing as well as young trees being overtaken by brambles, bracken, and other scrub species. This lack of regeneration means that many of these woodlands are quite even-aged which risks the future of these important habitats and the species they support. Support here will focus on actions that the RSPB is carrying out to improve the structure and condition of these woodlands such as fencing to enable controlled, sustainable grazing with cattle or ponies, increased regeneration of young trees using cactus tree guards, and the installation of pine marten den boxes which could encourage the population to expand.
RSPB Gwenffrwd Dinas
RSPB Franchises Lodge, New Forest
Franchises Lodge is a woodland reserve in the north of the New Forest that has been largely inaccessible to the public for many years. This ‘secret forest’ is made up of both deciduous and conifer trees that provide a home to hawfinch, wood warbler and other birds, invertebrates, and plant life that rely on this habitat. The reserve provides a bridge between two important wildlife areas, creating a larger, more joined-up space for nature. It is also the setting for Cameron’s Cottage, a residential educational facility that provides access to nature for groups of young people through the RPSB's partnership with the Cameron Bespolka Trust. The wood itself has been partially unmanaged for decades and our support will help them clear non-native invasive species of plants that are limiting the native tree regeneration as well as the undertaking of surveys across the site to enable more efficient restoration planning and prioritisation.
RSPB Franchises Lodge
Book with us in 2022
We want to celebrate the importance of the UK’s diverse and spectacular wildlife; book with us in 2022 and together we can help in the revival of these beautiful landscapes and give nature a little something back.
For more information about the RSPB visit www.rspb.org.uk
From 1st January 2022 until 31st December 2022, The Travel Chapter Limited will donate a minimum of £80,000 to RSPB Sales Ltd. RSPB Sales Ltd is a company incorporated and registered in England and Wales with CRN 02693778. RSPB Sales Ltd gift aids all of its distributable profits to the RSPB. The RSPB is a charity registered in England and Wales, number 207076, and in Scotland, SC037654. The registered office for both entities is The Lodge, Sandy, Beds, SG19 2DL.