North Wilts Golf Club is talking about birdies and eagles of a different kind after raising over £2,000 for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s (WWT's) conservation work.

The club, near Devizes, borders WWT’s Morgan’s Hill nature reserve. Lizzie Selby, Lady Captain for 2019 at North Wilts, has raised £2,311 so far this year to support WWT’s efforts to preserve species such as the rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly at Morgan’s Hill.

Lady Captain Lizzie Selby presents a cheque for £2,311 to WWT’s Head of Fundraising Dugald McNaughtan. Credit: Ellie Dodson.

Lizzie raised the money through a wildlife-themed Lady Captain’s Day, where ladies turned out in floral attire to play their 18 holes. A sponsored flag with the WWT logo was put in the ground at a certain place on the course by each golfer when they had hit their expected number of shots for completing the course. Some planted their flag a long way before the end (not so good!), whilst others exceeded expectations by starting to go round the course a second time before reaching their shot limit.

Left: Ladies don floral attire ready to golf for wildlife. Credit: Lizzie Selby
Right: WWT flags on the North Wilts golf course for Lady Captain’s Day. Credit: Lizzie Selby

The Lady Captain’s Day also included a raffle for a picnic hamper and apple juice on sale from the Trust’s traditional orchards at Lower Moor Farm and Roundway, Devizes.

Lizzie has teamed up with Rebecca Goddard from WWT’s Fundraising Team to put on bird, butterfly, bee, and orchid walks for golfers. Groups of keen wildlife enthusiasts have downed their clubs and come walking to record and photograph the incredible species-rich grassland habitats both to the sides of the golf course side and up at Morgan’s Hill.

The groups have listened to bird songs, identified eight different orchids, and even spotted the elusive and endangered Duke of Burgundy.

The club’s greenskeepers and WWT wardens will be continuing to work together to protect and sustain the landscape for wildlife, golfers and everyone else to enjoy. 

Contact:

Chris Noyce

Communications Manager, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust

Tel: 01380 736093

E-mail: [email protected]