Bardsey Island Trust  

Bardsey Island is a National Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Research. Bardsey Island Trust  works to protect the wildlife and the delicate ecosystem of the island. By working to protect the wildlife, listed buildings and the archaeological sites of the island, the Trust allows its annual 2,000 visitors a unique opportunity to visit and enjoy a working Welsh island.

Since joining in November 2016, the Trust has raised over £2,000 from 59 different donors. In this time they have set up two specific fundraising campaigns.

The first of these campaigns took advantage of one of Localgiving’s Match Funds. This campaign enabled the group to harness their significant social media presence and transform it into tangible support for their cause – converting their followers into donors and fundraisers.

As Sian Stacey, the Island Manager, explained: "(The Match-fund) worked incredibly well to trigger our donors to give that day...By having the Localgiving platform we've reached a new audience which were already following and engaging in our work through our social media platforms but could now give easily”

The funding raised through this campaign enabled them to pay for an island wide beach clean. With a large group of volunteers they were able to remove 4 tonne bags of rubbish from the island and its waters. They even raised enough to pay for a second clean up when required!

The second fundraising campaign raised money for restorative work on a Grade II listed building. This resulting work has secured the fabric of the building and improved the experience for visitors for years to come.

All other donations they receive through their Localgiving page go towards the core work of managing the island, particularly enabling them to improve the support they offer to volunteers. The work they do with volunteers can be life changing. Over the last 2 years they have been collaborating with local homeless charities and young people’s groups to encourage new types of volunteers to visit Bardsey. The donations they receive from Localgiving help them to cover volunteers’ core expenses. The experience of living on an island can be profound, be it providing respite from their challenging lives, providing new experiences or offering opportunities to learn new skills.

Sian believes the group have benefitted hugely from the personalised support they have received from Localgiving:“We have had fantastic support from our Localgiving Development Officers, from phone calls, to training seminars, to gentle reminders of match challenges coming up. It's been that extra push to make sure time is allowed to focus on this work, which as a tiny charity with only 1.5 staff members can be difficult. The support has enabled us to undertake fundraising campaigns when we wouldn't have thought we had the capacity to do so.”

The Trust has also found Localgiving’s regular newsletters and emails hugely helpful in keeping them up to date with fundraising opportunities and tips. The group has rated their experience with Localgiving so far as 5 out of 5, Sian explaining:

“Our membership with Localgiving has made a huge difference to our organisation…Our online fundraising was non-existent before we had a Localgiving page. The Localgiving page has enabled us to raise money from both existing and new donors in an easy and efficient way. We have seen an income increase of £2000, probably close to a 100% increase on donations from individuals that are not linked to membership fees”.

Find out more about Bardsey Island Trust