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Status
Received: on time
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Income
£160.8K
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Spending
£252.4K
Public benefits
All of our purposes are for the benefit of the general public. Our first purpose is to promote the protection, conservation and improvement of the physical and natural environment of Lagan Valley Regional Park and to promote the management of the Park’s countryside, biodiversity and the conservation of its wildlife. The direct benefit which flows
from this is that the public can enjoy and appreciate the Park’s natural beauty and characteristic landscapes, as well as benefiting from seeing wildlife in their natural habitat. By managing the park effectively, we are safeguarding this valuable biodiversity resource for people today and for future generations. This is evidenced by the number of visitors that come to experience and enjoy the natural environment. Our conservation work is also evidenced by the special designation and protection given for the nature conservation value. An important part of our conservation work is carrying out specific research which we share with other wildlife and conservation groups. We have over a hundred volunteers, twenty of which are dedicated specifically to carry out the research into various aspects of the wildlife in the park. Our second purpose is to provide, or assist with the provision of facilities for recreation, sport and leisure within the natural environment of the Park in the interest of social welfare. The direct benefit which flows from promoting the use of the Park for leisure, sport and recreational purposes is that people who live, work or visit the Park will have the opportunity to improve their physical and mental health and lifestyles by taking part in activities in the fresh air in a peaceful natural environment. We currently provide mountain bike tracks, running trails, maintain the towpath which is used for walking, cycling and running and facilitate canoeing. The popularity of the use of these facilities is evidenced through the number of people who come to the Park on a daily basis. Our third purpose is to advance the education of the public in the physical and natural environment of the Park and its heritage, including (but not limited to) the Park’s proper management of natural resources, protecting the environment as a safe habitat for wildlife, the Park’s buildings and sites of historical and archaeological interest, and the history of the locality. The direct benefit which flows from this purpose is that people of all ages can learn more about the natural environment and local heritage. We have a website which provides information on all aspects of life in the park which links into the national curriculum. Our Ranger Service delivers informative talks to schools both within the Park and also in various schools. We also have various activity based educational activities to make learning fun such as ‘bush craft’ and ‘pond dipping’ where the children about the world around us. We host adult groups from a range of organisations. These benefits are evidenced by the number of people who attend our talks, courses and who access the information on our website. The fourth purpose is to promote the protection, conservation and improvement of the Park’s buildings and sites of historical and archaeological interest and the history of the locality. The direct benefit which flows from this is that the general public have the opportunity to experience historical sites and learn about Ireland’s first settlers, through to the industrial revolution and to the present day. Our heritage role is interlinked with our education role and we have heritage guides and volunteers which help with this role by facilitating visitors to the restored cottage and barge helping to explain our local industrial history. The benefits are evidenced through the number of people who come to the Park to visit our antiquities and attend various talks about the heritage of the Park. There is neither private benefit to anyone or harm done to anyone from carrying out ou
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
What we do Lagan Valley Regional Park Limited protects and conserves the unique landscape character of Lagan Valley Regional Park and the Lagan Valley AONB. We proactively work to conserve and manage the biodiversity in the Regional Park through wildlife and habitat management programs and heritage programs. We support and facilitate environmental
research and study and provide education specifically on the area’s biodiversity and heritage and sometimes other subjects. We support community involvement in the park through our volunteering program: Volunteer Heritage Guides, Volunteer Rangers, Wildlife Survey Volunteers and Saturday Conservation Volunteers. We support and occasionally lead on appropriate recreation activities, events and work to develop sustainable tourism for the benefit of the region. This may be through our own events program or through offering support and advice to groups wishing to run events in the park, particularly fund raising events for charities. We work to promote the benefits of green open spaces for health and wellbeing and how valuable they are for biodiversity within the area, getting people involved directly or through advice and support. We work to maintain and enhance the landscape quality of the Regional Park for the benefit of all, and safeguard the area for future generations from inappropriate development and activities that my harm the area. The Lagan Valley is rich in shared cultural history. Through a range of interpretive means we tell the story of our rich heritage and inspire our visitors to discover and learn more. We work to increase public awareness of the natural and cultural heritage throughout the region. We proactively conserve and manage the cultural and built heritage of the Regional Park, restoring features such as the lock keepers cottage and keeping it open to all visitors and collecting and making available local cultural histories and people stories of the Lagan and Canal.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of education
- The advancement of citizenship or community development
- The advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science
- The advancement of environmental protection or improvement
- Other charitable purposes
Who the charity helps
- General public
- Voluntary and community sector
- Volunteers
How the charity works
- Animal welfare
- Cultural
- Education/training
- Environment/sustainable development/conservation
- Heritage/historical
- Research/evaluation
- Volunteer development
