The Trustees of the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve and the 833 Administration Team have decided to close the 833 Lottery Club, with July 13th 2024 as the last draw. The Lottery was set up at the end of 2019 to raise funds for the development and ongoing management of the Rye Harbour Discovery Centre. Since that time the building has been finished and its management and activities firmly established.
We thank all the Lottery members for their generous support over almost 5 years.
Lottery members will receive a personal notification shortly, with details of the closure process.
The Friends is an extraordinary group of over 2,000 members, who have been raising money for nearly 50 years to improve the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, working with the Sussex Wildlife Trust to conserve the landscape and to protect wildlife, so why not JOIN US.
Our volunteers help with:
- outdoor work, creating and maintaining habitat on the Reserve
- educational activities
- staffing the information desk at the Discovery Centre
- helping in the café
- producing and posting out the newsletters
- managing membership
- running the 833 lottery
- organising great walks, talks and events.
Our fund raising has:
- helped to purchase Castle Water, and transform it from a gravel-dredging site to the amazing reed bed it is today
- created the Wader Pool near the river
- funded the initial contribution of £1.5M towards the new Discovery Centre
- funded five wheelchair-accessible bird hides
- funded vehicles for the Reserve
- purchased two defibrillators
- provided two offices and a workshop
- part-funded the nature reserve staff
The Friends make a huge difference, so why not help us to protect the reserve and its wildlife by joining us or making a donation?
Please note that The Friends are not responsible for the management of the Reserve. If you have any issues, please contact staff at the Discovery Centre or Sussex Wildlife Trust.