# UK rainforest charity secures £100k in inaugural global Defender Awards - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/01/25/uk-rainforest-charity-secures-100k-global-defender-awards/ - Published: 2026-01-25T13:22:33+00:00 - Author: Howard Lake **The Thousand Year Trust (TYT), the UK’s only charity dedicated to restoring Atlantic temperate rainforests, has been crowned a global winner of the inaugural Defender Awards, securing a substantial funding package that will significantly accelerate its conservation efforts. ** As one of six international winners, TYT received a **£100,000** grant and a new Defender 4×4 vehicle. This award comes from the [Defender Awards’ £1 million commitment](https://fundraisingworld.com/defender-awards-to-benefit-charities-in-seven-countries/) to conservation and humanitarian causes worldwide. The funding is specifically earmarked for the Trust’s flagship ‘Cornwall Rainforest Project,’ an undertaking to restore 10,000 acres of Bodmin Moor. This project involves planting an ambitious 1.28 million native trees and aims to capture 220,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, making a contribution to climate change mitigation while restoring a rare and rich ecosystem. ## Advertisement One fifth of the UK used to be covered in these rainforests: now the figure is just 1%. ![Defender car driving on a rough dirt truck.](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/ 2026/01/Defender-Awards.jpg) Image: Defender Awards The Defender vehicle serves as a mobile base and transport to remote sites, directly supporting the logistics of this large-scale restoration. Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, founder of the Thousand Year Trust, emphasized the long- term vision: > “The [Defender Awards](https://www.landrover.com/defender/defender-awards/index.html) > give us the chance to take this message further than ever before—working hand- > in-hand with farmers across the country to restore rare ecosystems while supporting > sustainable rural livelihoods… It’s about looking beyond quick fixes and committing > to the long view—creating living, breathing rainforests that future generations > can cherish.” * **[Funding opportunities and developments for charities in June 2026](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/06/12/funding-opportunities-and-developments-for-charities-in-june-2026/)**( 12 June 2026) * **[Biffaward reaches £80 million mark](https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/07/20/biffaward-reaches-80-million-mark/)**( 20 July 2006) * **[Biffaward widens eligibility for funding](https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/04/16/biffaward-widens-eligibility-funding/)**( 16 April 2007)