RSPCA Llys Nini has created a new wildlife hide at its site in Penllergaer thanks to a £4,000 grant from Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme.
The new hide at the site’s otter pond provides a quiet setting for local people to spot a variety of wildlife, including rare birds and otters.
Sally Hyman, Chair of Trustees at RSPCA Llys Nini Swansea, said: “The Bags of Help funding from Tesco has been a vital boost to our much-loved Llys Nini site, which welcomes in over 20,000 visitors a year. The area encourages the community to care for the local environment. Tesco’s funding has enabled us to redouble our efforts rescuing and rehoming abused animals and increasing the biodiversity on the site.
“With the addition of our new wildlife hide we’ve had reports of sightings of hundreds of dragon flies, butterflies, birds (including kingfishers) and otters which are certainly a rare find! The hide, which was built with the help of local schools and community groups, has gone down a treat.
“Because of the funding, we’ve also been able to make the hide wheelchair accessible, meaning everyone can sit, relax and absorb the natural surroundings.”
The wildlife hide was built by not-for-profit social enterprise Cyfle i Dyfu / Chance to Grow, which supports and works with marginalised people who either have a history of substance misuse, learning difficulties or mental health problems. The group teaches participants new woodwork skills and help to integrate them into the community.
Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch the Bags of Help funding initiative in 2015, which has since awarded grants to thousands of local community projects every year.
Rhodri Evans, Tesco’s Community Manager for Wales, said: “Our customers in Swansea were really supportive of this project, which is hardly surprising how well regarded Llys Nini is locally, and it is great to see Bags of Help funding making a difference to their work. Across Wales our Bags of Help scheme supports a huge variety of projects which are important to the local communities our stores serve, with more than £5m awarded to projects in Wales to date.”
Graham Duxbury the National Chief Executive of Groundwork, which administers the scheme, said: “The Bags of Help scheme continues to enable local communities across Wales to come together and support one another in their time of need. The diversity of projects that are being funded shows that local communities have a passion to improve their local spaces and places that matter most to them. We are pleased to be able to be a part of the journey and provide support and encouragement to help local communities thrive.”
