THE Elan Valley and Snowdonia National Park in Wales are amongst the 25 Amazing Outdoor Adventures in the UK which feature in a new guide released by The National Lottery today with the backing of TV Presenter, Helen Skelton.

The list has been released to mark The National Lottery’s 25th Birthday. Since 1994 more than £550 million of National Lottery funding has been invested in over 9,220 projects in the UK, helping people to enjoy the great outdoors. In Wales alone, more than £36.6 million has been awarded to over 600 outdoors projects.

The guide launched on Monday includes a range of outdoors activities and locations to visit that The National Lottery has funded over the past 25 years, from rugged coastlines and mountain footpaths to spectacular nature reserves, parks and forests. Readers are encouraged to go mountain biking or hiking in the Carneddau mountain range in northern Snowdonia, or cycle and walk along the spectacular Elan Valley trail which is nestled in the Cambrian mountains in Mid Wales.

In 2015, the Elan Links – People, Nature and Water project was awarded over £1.7 million from the National Lottery to develop all aspects of the Elan Valley to benefit people, as well as the environment itself.

The project, which will run until 2023, aims to protect and restore historic sites and natural environments; archive people’s histories and stories; and increase access, recreation and learning opportunities for visitors.

In July this year (2019), the Carneddau Partnership Landscape scheme led by the Snowdonia National Park Authority was also awarded over £1.9 million from the National Lottery for a five-year conservation project which aims to enhance protection of important natural habitats as well as historic features, like dry stone walls and other buildings.

The project also includes a series of community education activities for local people, ranging from outdoor classrooms and citizen science projects to recording people’s memories of living and working in the area.

During the summer, Snowdonia-based charity, The Outdoor Partnership, announced it was expanding its work into mountain regions in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland thanks to nearly £3 million of National Lottery funding.

The charity has been extremely successful at encouraging local people to get healthier and to find work, by enjoying the landscape and by offering equipment and qualifications in activities such as kayaking and climbing.

The statistics are impressive. Between 2006 and March 2019, The Outdoor Partnership has reached over 120,000 people, invested £700,000 to train over 4,500 volunteers from local communities and has supported over 500 local, unemployed people to progress to sustained employment.

Countryfile presenter and outdoor enthusiast, Helen Skelton, is backing the guide and recently undertook a climb to the summit of Ben Nevis in Scotland which features in a new video by the National Lottery which is also released today.

She said: “National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes and have contributed so much to the UK’s amazing and varied landscapes. I am a huge supporter of people experiencing the great outdoors for themselves. ‘The National Lottery’s Guide to 25 Amazing Outdoor Adventures’ will hopefully inspire people to discover their next adventure.”

Over the last 25 years, The National Lottery has given more than £59 million to all of the organisations featured in the 25 Amazing Outdoor Adventures guide.

Richard Bellamy, the Head of the National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales, said: “Our stunning landscapes define the very character of Wales and are a part of who we are. They are as much loved by the people who call Wales home as by tens of thousands of tourists who visit them. Over the last 25 years, National Lottery funding has had an extraordinary impact on our natural heritage and opened up so many opportunities for people to access the great outdoors. Thanks to National Lottery players we have the chance to support these stunning areas and we’re hoping the new guide will encourage more people to find their next adventure in Wales.”

The National Lottery’s Guide to 25 Amazing Outdoor Adventures is available to download in both Welsh and English.

Since The National Lottery’s first draw, which took place on 19 November 1994, more than £40 billion has been raised for good causes in the areas of arts, sport, heritage and community.

The National Lottery has made more than 5,500 millionaires but its primary purpose is giving to good causes - over 565,000 individual grants have been awarded across the UK, that’s the equivalent of 200 life-changing projects in every UK postcode district.

Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has had on your community over the past 25 years by visiting www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using hashtag: #NationalLottery25

Photo Captions:

1. The Outdoor Partnership has had significant success in encouraging local people to get healthier and to find work in the outdoor sector. It’s now being rolled out to other parts of the UK

2. The Carneddau Partnership Landscape scheme led by the Snowdonia National Park Authority was also awarded over £1.9 million from the National Lottery for a five-year conservation project

3. The Elan Links project was awarded over £1.7 million from the National Lottery to develop all aspects of the Elan Valley to benefit people, as well as the environment itself

4. TV Presenter, Helen Skelton, is backing the launch of ‘The National Lottery’s Guide to 25 Amazing Outdoor Adventures’.

5. Helen Skelton features in a new film released by the National Lottery today