Awards for All

Awards for All is a Lottery grants scheme for local communities.  In England, they award grants of between £300 and £10,000 for people to take part in art, sport, heritage and community activities, and projects that promote education, the environment and health in the local community.

Scarborough's wildlife group, Scarborough Field Naturalists' Society, was awarded £4,720 in 2007 to buy digital equipment for photographing wildlife and giving presentations.  Frank Thompson, Treasurer for the Society, said: “We want to move into the digital age so we can attract more members and get more people involved in wildlife conservation. We have a website (www.scarboroughwildlife.org.uk), and the Awards for All grant will enable us to buy a camera, laptop computer, screen and projector for use when we give talks to groups.”

After the new equipment has been purchased, it will be available for speakers to use at our regular indoor meetings and for society members to show any digital photos they have taken of local wildlife.  Some items will be used to help record the wildlife itself, while others will make it possible to share the results with both Society members and the wider community.  The laptop computer will also be used in conjunction with a flat screen monitor to show publicity material produced by the Society when it attends the various wildlife events that are held in the area each year.