Lottery winners with combined worth of over £65m lend a hand at Trees for Life rewilding estate in Dundreggan
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SEVEN National Lottery winners with a combined worth of more than £65 million spent a day in the Highlands helping as volunteers.
They visited Trees for Life’s rewilding estate in Dundreggan to play their part in reducing the impact of climate change by planting trees in the regenerating forest and learning about the charity’s work.
Education manager Kat Murphy and training programme manager Paul Greaves led the group through a series of educational tours, including the tree nursery, before exploring the Rewilding Centre which is set to open in 2023.
Visiting winners included Libby Elliot, from Fife, who is celebrating 10 years since her £2,159,664 win.
She was joined by Sheila and Duncan Davidson, also celebrating their 10th anniversary of a £4,520,123 win on a lucky dip ticket.
The Davidsons said: “As big outdoor lovers it was a no-brainer for us to get involved in supporting the project.
“We’re blessed to live in a country as beautiful as Scotland so it’s important that we all play our part in protecting its natural environment and the wildlife species that live in it.”
The group included Fred and Lesley Higgins, originally from Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire, who scooped £57,975,367 on EuroMillions in July 2018.
Jim and Pam Forbes, who won £655,838 on EuroMillions in September 2017, also took part.
Established in 1993, Trees for Life aims to help the regeneration of the Caledonian Forest which once covered a large area of the Highlands.
The new wild forests will help reduce the impacts of climate change by storing carbon and preventing flooding and erosion.
The charity has received more than £1 million in National Lottery funding since 2007 to help support several projects to rewild the Highlands with Dundreggan – home to 4000 species of plants and animals – being the most significant.
