National Trust and Admiral partner on £600,000 flood prevention programme
National Trust and Admiral partner on £600,000 flood prevention programme
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The National Trust and Admiral Group have launched a three-year partnership focused on tackling flooding in England and Wales through large-scale nature restoration projects.
The collaboration will combine Admiral’s expertise in protecting people and their homes with the National Trust’s experience in environmental management.
Backed by a £600,000 investment from Admiral Group’s Green Fund Initiative, the programme will focus on natural flood management to slow water flow, capture carbon, and create healthier habitats for wildlife.
Projects will take place across three upland areas: Eryri (Snowdonia) in north Wales, the Holnicote Estate in Somerset and the Lake District.
With one in six UK homes already at risk of flooding, and that number expected to rise to one in four by 2050, the organisations say the partnership will show how nature-based solutions can help protect both people and the environment.
Michelle Leavesley, Chief Sustainability Officer at Admiral Group, said: “We’re investing in natural flood management solutions to strengthen flood resilience for people and nature.
“For us at Admiral, protecting people’s homes means taking action beyond insurance by building understanding and resilience to the impact of changing climate and extreme weather events.
“This partnership is a perfect example of how we live our purpose, helping more people look after their future, while making a real difference for communities and the environment.”
The first project is already underway in Eryri, where the National Trust team is restoring parts of the Migneint blanket bog, one of Wales’ most important peatland habitats.
The £180,000 scheme will restore around 12 hectares of severely eroded peatland at Waen Fraith over the next three years. The work aims to hold more water in the landscape, reduce downstream flooding, and create thriving habitats for wildlife such as the curlew and dragonflies.
“Blanket bogs are unsung climate heroes,” said Iago Thomas, Peatland Officer at National Trust Cymru. “They lock away carbon, regulate water flow, and support rare wildlife. But in this upland environment where there is no protection from more frequent and extreme rainfall or strong winds the peat is at huge risk of erosion.
“When peat dries out and erodes, it releases carbon into the atmosphere and worsens flooding downstream. The Migneint feeds tributaries that flow into the Afon Conwy, which can flood communities downstream in the Conwy Valley during heavy rain.
“By rewetting the bog, we will literally see the trickle-down impact of it all, with the land absorbing more water like a sponge, slowing water flow, reducing carbon emissions, and creating thriving habitats. Restoring peat really is a nature-based solution with real-world impact.”
Volunteers, including young people from Gwersyll yr Urdd Glan-llyn, will help transplant thousands of sphagnum moss plants to accelerate recovery.
Ben McCarthy, Head of Nature Conservation at the National Trust, said: “This partnership with Admiral is a landmark moment. It allows us to scale up our efforts and deliver real-world impact; to support biodiversity, build in resilience against extreme weather as well as helping to protect people.”
Work on the remaining sites in Somerset and the Lake District will begin later this year and early next year respectively.
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