In June, we received the fantastic news that the Gower Landscape Connections project had been awarded £245,000 from the National Lottery Fund to develop a landscape-scale nature restoration programme in the Gower National Landscape.

As the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - renamed National Landscapes in 2024 - to be designated back in 1956, this funding represents an opportunity to safeguard one of Wales’ most historic and cherished landscapes.

With people, place and nature at its heart, Gower Landscape Connections has already made significant strides in its mission to protect and restore the area’s unique natural heritage.

To make the most of the 18-month development phase, two new staff members joined Programme Manager Llyr Jones this year. Dr Amanda Roberts began her role as Engagement Officer in August, followed shortly by Data Officer Neha Bhayani.

With the full team in place, the priority was establishing a strong Steering Group. Representatives from the Gower Society – our core partner - were joined by stakeholders from the National Trust, Natural Resources Wales, Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, Swansea Council’s Gower Landscape Team and the Gower Commoners Association.

This collective exemplifies what partnership working can achieve. Together, they have started mapping priority areas across Gower and engaging with local communities to ensure that restoration efforts are strategic, inclusive and truly collaborative.

Llyr said: “Living close to the Gower, and having spent much of my life exploring it, I know how important this landscape is, not just for biodiversity, but for the communities who have long been its guardians. We want to harness that passion so local people remain at the centre of the restoration work we deliver.”

Central to the programme is meaningful engagement. Amanda has spent the past four months connecting with schools, colleges and community groups across Gower and Swansea and listening to their experiences, gathering their ideas and co-creating early pilot projects.

These pilot activities are helping identify barriers - both cultural and physical - that prevent people from accessing the Gower, ensuring the future bid is informed by lived experience and inclusive by design.

Amanda said: “We know there are real barriers that stop people coming to the Gower, and one of our key aims is to understand and remove them. We want everyone to feel part of what’s happening here. Whether through school-based projects or new volunteering opportunities, we’re working to make this landscape feel welcoming and accessible to all.”

Gower National Landscape was chosen for the Landscape Connections project because it is increasingly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss.

Celebrated for its sweeping vistas and thriving mosaic of habitats, in recent years the area has seen declines in rare and valued landscapes, including commons, grasslands, woodlands and the iconic northern salt marsh. Without intervention, these habitats face further deterioration, and the wider landscape will become less resilient to climate change, weakening natural flood mitigation, carbon storage and other vital ecosystem services.

By 2026 the team, working closely with the Gower Society and major stakeholders, will have developed a comprehensive delivery bid that sets out the actions needed for large-scale nature recovery across Gower National Landscape. The full bid is expected to be ready for submission this time next year.

Reflecting on the year, Llyr said: “Partnership working like this is essential if we’re to deliver for both nature and people. This year has shown us the incredible passion that exists among those who want to help shape the future of Gower. Together, we can ensure it remains one of the most beautiful and ecologically rich landscapes in Wales.”