Play the South Downs National Park lottery from just £1 and help to preserve this precious 'green lung'

These are your hills and valleys, your views and your landscapes. The South Downs is a tranquil oasis – and its importance as a place to connect with nature and replenish the soul has certainly increased over the past 18 months.
Sunset over rolling English countryside in the South Downs National ParkSunset over rolling English countryside in the South Downs National Park
Sunset over rolling English countryside in the South Downs National Park

But the challenges of climate change and global biodiversity loss means we can never take this wildlife haven for granted.

The South Downs National Park Trust is working hard to protect and enhance this wonderful ‘green lung’, bringing a brighter future to both people and nature.

Whether it’s investing in grassroots projects so more children from towns and cities can enjoy the outdoors, or planting thousands of new life-giving trees, this is a small charity making a big difference.

Doug Jones from SDNPA, Gemma Lacey of Southern Co-op and Maureen Page from Butser Ancient FarmDoug Jones from SDNPA, Gemma Lacey of Southern Co-op and Maureen Page from Butser Ancient Farm
Doug Jones from SDNPA, Gemma Lacey of Southern Co-op and Maureen Page from Butser Ancient Farm

From as little as £1, you can play your part and build a better, and greener, future for us all.

The Trust’s community lottery is a fun way of supporting the charity’s work. Sign up today to your local lottery and give a little to give nature the helping hand it needs.

How the lottery works

£1 per ticket – Unlike many other lotteries, South Downs Lottery tickets are only £1 per week.

A community garden in PetworthA community garden in Petworth
A community garden in Petworth

Each ticket has a 1 in 50 chance to win with a top prize of £25,000.

Every month there’s an additional bolt-on prize, including luxury food and drink or holidays.

50% of ticket sales will go to South Downs and 20% will go to the prizes.

Flexibility on how you’d like to play. You can support every month via Direct Debit or debit card. We also offer one-off payment options of either 1, 3, 6 or 12 months.

The short-snouted seahorseThe short-snouted seahorse
The short-snouted seahorse

Five reasons to support the South Downs National Park Trust

Help more children get outside and learn about nature.

Play your part in the charity’s ambition to plant 100,000 new trees across the region.

Improve walking and cycling routes across the South Downs and help create new routes so that families and people with limited mobility can access green spaces.

Help restore lost habitat and protect rare birds, mammals and insects such as the beautiful White-letter Hairstreak Butterfly.

Help create new wildflower corridors and restore bee populations that are vital for pollination and food production.

Did you know?

The South Downs National Park is home to over 1,000 nature conservation sites – including 85 Sites of Special Scientific Interest with some of the rarest wildlife in the world.

Over 10,000 trees have already been planted last winter by the Trust. The charity now wants to plant another 90,000 and your donations will help!

The South Downs provides clean drinking water to well over a million people in the region. Chalk-filtered of course!

In the community

A big part of the Trust’s work is providing small grants to help local communities. From creating new wildlife gardens, to helping develop educational facilities for schoolchildren, a little can go a long way.

Butser Ancient Farm, near Waterlooville, received grant funding to help transform its Roman Villa, which is based on archaeological excavations of a 4th century Roman home at Sparsholt, near Winchester.

Volunteers spent more than 1,000 hours painstakingly recreating a mosaic from Sparsholt using more than 120,000 multi-coloured tiles.

The installation is now an important educational facility for the farm, which welcomes tens of thousands of schoolchildren every year to learn about history, wildlife and culture.

The Trust was also able to provide a grant to help a community garden in Petworth install a solar power system.

The renewable energy source means the community can enjoy the garden year-round with an indoor space when the weather becomes inclement.

One of the greatest successes of the ‘Growing for All’ project is its social impact – helping people of all ages to get outside and learn about nature. It has also helped people with disabilities and learning difficulties to gain confidence in gardening and interacting with others.

A grant from the Trust is helping young people learn about the Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone – a precious chalk reef habitat between Brighton Marina and Eastbourne that is home to specialised plants and animals, including the rare short-snouted seahorse.

The grant has helped to create The Living Coast Undersea Experience – an interactive, virtual reality educational experience that is helping people to understand the marine environment and learn what we need to do to care for it.

Participants can interact with the seabed and learn about conservation issues, such as the impact of plastic on our seas and oceans.