PRESS RELEASE

• Santander UK announce a growth in their partnership to support the restoration of nature across some of the country’s most-loved landscapes with second project being delivered through their partnership with National Parks UK
• The bank will support the development of an innovative nature financing platform in the Lake District National Park
• First Santander UK funded project supported restoration of 200 hectares of peatland in Cairngorms National Park.

National Parks UK and Santander UK announce a growth in their partnership to support the restoration of nature across some of the country’s most-loved landscapes.

Santander UK will support the development of an innovative nature financing platform in the Lake District National Park designed through Revere, a collaboration between the National Parks Partnerships and global impact firm Palladium.

The platform, developed together with local landowners and the National Park Authority, will secure investment to fund the creation of nature-based solutions that are designed to improve water quality in lakes and rivers, enhance biodiversity and build natural climate resistance. The solutions will include wetland creation to slow water flows and woodland planting in high impact locations such as along riverbanks.

The first phase of Revere’s work in the Lake District was funded by Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland and resulted in the identification of over 400 hectares of riparian woodland and wetland creation opportunities across the Lake Windermere catchment that would reduce the amount phosphorus pollution entering the lake. The funding also led to the creation of a financial model to assess options for funding the wetland and woodland sites. Santander UK is picking up the baton to enable phase two of the nature financing platform design work.

Richard Leafe, Chief Executive of the Lake District National Park Authority, welcomed the new partnership:

“The landscapes of the Lake District provide enjoyment to millions of people every year, but they also provide opportunities by enhancing water quality, improving biodiversity and adapting to the impacts of climate change by reducing flood risk. In Windermere we’re continuing to work with experts and the community through the Love Windermere partnership, taking an evidence-based approach to address the current water quality issues.

“With Santander UK’s support, we will be able to explore new nature-based solutions by unlocking much needed investment. This is an exciting and innovative project that will continue our work towards a healthier lake and surrounding area for everyone to enjoy.”

This support builds upon Santander’s 2021 commitment as a founding partner of the National Parks ‘Net Zero With Nature’ initiative which places UK landscapes at the heart of the fight against climate change and the biodiversity crisis. As part of their commitment, Santander supported the restoration of 200 hectares of damaged peatland in the Cairngorms National Park.

Since then, Santander UK staff have enjoyed a variety of volunteering sessions in the National Parks including peatland restoration in the Cairngorms and scrub clearance and litter picking in the South Downs National Park.

James Dunne, UK Head of Wealth Management and Insurance at Santander UK says:

“It’s fantastic to share the exciting news about the second nature restoration project that Santander is supporting through its partnership with National Parks UK. I had the good fortune to be involved in the first project that delivered peat restoration in the stunning Cairngorms National Park. The second sees us supporting this innovative collaboration to deliver landscape restoration at scale in the inspiring Lake District.

We know our customers care about protecting the environment and have an expectation that businesses are responsible in the ways they do business. The important partnership with National Parks UK allows us to demonstrate we do take it seriously, not just by supporting nature restoration but also by encouraging our colleagues to get involved and volunteer.”

Andrew Wilson, Director of Communications and Responsible Banking at Santander UK said:

“I’m delighted that Santander UK is continuing the valuable partnership with National Parks UK, which started in 2021 with support for peatland restoration in the Cairngorms. The new collaboration to help deliver landscape restoration at scale in the beautiful Lake District is an innovative way to drive the pace and scale of local nature-based solutions. The project to improve biodiversity and water quality in the area, and to build climate resistance, is incredibly important and it is exciting that Santander can continue to be involved in facilitating nature restoration of this kind.” 

Notes to Editors:

Media contacts:

Santander UK:  Hannah Schraer, hannah.schraer@santander.co.uk

Lake District National Park Authority: Sarah Calderbank, sarah.calderbank@lakedistrict.gov.uk

National Parks Partnerships/Revere: Laura Williams, laura.williams@nationalparks.co.uk

Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. At 30 June 2023, the bank had around 19,400 employees and serves around 14 million active customers, 7 million digital customers via a nationwide 445 branch network, telephone, mobile and online banking. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the FCA and the PRA in the UK. Santander UK plc customers’ eligible deposits are protected by the FSCS in the UK.

Lake District National Park Authority is England’s largest National Park and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Windermere is England’s largest natural lake at 10.5 miles long and at its deepest point is 66.7 metres.

The Lake District National Park Authority continues to work collaboratively with experts and the community through the Love Windermere partnership (launched July 2022), taking an evidence-based approach to address the three main pollution sources: wastewater, septic tanks and land management; this is alongside the wider challenges of existing lake phosphate, climate change and our commitment to improve conditions. Recent Love Windermere activity includes the Big Windermere Survey citizen science, community and farmer events and septic tank emptying schemes.

The Love Windermere partnership is led by the Environment Agency, with the Lake District National Park Authority, United Utilities, South Cumbria Rivers Trust, National Trust, Freshwater Biological Association, Westmorland and Furness Council, National Farmers Union, Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Lake District Foundation, and more. Find out more about the Love Windermere partnership: www.lovewindermere.co.uk. 

Revere is delivered through a partnership between Palladium and UK National Parks.  Revere catalyses private finance for innovative nature-based solutions to restore the UK’s 15 National Parks at the scale and pace needed to tackle the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis. For more information visit www.revere.eco

National Parks Partnerships (NPP) was established in 2016 and creates partnership opportunities between the National Parks family and commercial partners. Working across all 15 National Parks in the UK (Peak District, Lake District, Eryri, Dartmoor, Pembrokeshire Coast, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Exmoor, Northumberland, Bannau Brycheiniog, The Broads, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, Cairngorms, New Forest, South Downs), NPP creates meaningful partnerships to help protect and improve National Parks and the benefits they offer today and in the future, such as Revere.

Palladium is a global impact firm, working at the intersection of social progress and commercial growth. For nearly 60 years, the company has been helping clients to see the world as interconnected – by creating strategies, building partnerships, mobilising capital, and implementing programs that have a lasting social and financial impact. With a global network operating in over 90 countries, Palladium is in the business of making the world a better place. https://thepalladiumgroup.com/