14 Southam Street J www.thearksnowdonia.org London W10 5PH www.yrarcheryri.org T +44 (0) 20 281 5550
The Ark Snowdonia Yr Arch Eryri an
December . 2025
1172528 The Ark Snowdonia / Yr Arch Eryri Annual Report and Accounts 2025
It was again a difficult year for the charity as we pursued a number of possible avenues for grants but none of them were successful. On the positive side we have finally been accepted by some of the local farmers and are learning from them how best to advance the objectives of the charity.
We have continued to focus on work related to the 50 acres of land at Glan-Ilunau Duon that was gifted to us and reported on over the last years.
Following the decision to completely exclude any grazing on the land in May 2023 we have lost the annual entitlement to subsidy on the land. However the land has started to regenerate and we have made a good connection with the 3 adjoining landowners. We were successful in assisting the neighbour on the other side of the river in obtaining a grant to fence off his side so the river is now completely protected from grazing along the full frontage of our site. We have introduced local Welsh Black cattle onto the site for 4 weeks in the autumn to help break up the land and allow more seeds to germinate.
The site is very exposed and it is taking time but there are now sapliings extending out over the grasses, the streams running through the site have increased in size and complexity due to a slower runoff and we have seen the return of Curlews to nest along the apron of the river.
The ecology basellne study completed previously includes a proposal for initial conservation work on the land, which has been postponed and it is now intended that this work will begin in the spring of 2026, under the supervision of Dr Gritten, Included in this work will be tree planting [1500 broad leaf trees] and the creation of wetland habitat along the east boundary with the Afon Eden and also along the line of the four small streams that bisect the site. Provisionally this work has been programmed for spring 2026.
The establishment of a quadrant ecology study on the land to monitor ecological changes will be updated in the spring of 2026. This information will be available on our website for research purposes as the years go by.
Initital contact has been made with the Snowdonia National Park officers and the local officers of Natural Resources Wales. Both organisations are supportive but little progress was made in obtaining any grants.
Accounts
The charity has established a bank account, which opened in 2022 and aside from an initial gift from the founding director to establish the account the charity has not received or spent any funds. All the work that has been done has been funded directly and gifted to the charity. We hope that 2025-26 will see the charity move forward both financially and in terms of being able to commence our work in the Rhinogs.
Charles Mador, Chair and Founding Trustee, December 2025
Charity Registration no 1172528 Registered Office: Studio 102 1 Thane Villas, London N7 7PH