We’ve won £1,000!

A MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone who nominated us for the Ecclesiastical Insurance Movement for Good award, because of your votes, we’ve won £1,000!

Back in May we appealed for your help in helping us secure some much-needed funds and we’re thrilled to be one of 500 charities, out of 13,000 nominated, who have won a share of £1m.

DZC Conservation Officer, Chris Leeson, said: “We’re extremely grateful to everyone who nominated Dudley Zoo and Castle for this funding and we’ve got exciting plans for the money, as we’re set to use it to help transform our Rainforest Room in the Discovery Centre into a Rainforest Base Camp, which will be open to visitors to explore.”

We’ll be theming the room around a rainforest research centre which will be home to a variety of small animal species, including Charlie, our popular blue and gold macaw, as well as artefacts donated to us over the years from Customs and Trading Standards, which we can use as a powerful visual tool to highlight the illegal trade in animal products.

The room, which will also be used by school groups will help us educate people about conservation issues, such as the threat of palm oil, the effects of deforestation, as well as many other risks our planet’s wildlife face.

Group Chief Executive of Ecclesiastical Insurance Group, Mark Hews, said: “Ecclesiastical, the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK, is a unique financial services group. We are owned by a charity which means all available profits can be given to the good causes that are so important to our customers.

“We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”