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Lincoln based design and digital communications agency Optima hailed for role in helping charity smash ambitious £1million appeal target to safeguard much loved nature reserve.

Lincoln based Optima Graphic Design Consultants Ltd, which has been providing design support for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s publications and campaigns for over 20 years, has been cited as playing a key role in helping the charity raise over £1.1million in just 10 weeks through its Attenborough Nature Reserve Lifeline Appeal.

The fight to save Attenborough Nature Reserve, located just south of Nottingham on the banks of the River Trent, provided the spark which led to the formation of the charity back in the 1960s and the charity has been managing the site ever since.  When the opportunity to purchase the reserve outright finally arose, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust knew just who to turn to to ensure it created a successful and engaging appeal.

Having worked with Optima Managing Director Simon Shaw and his team for more than two decades the charity’s Head of Communications Erin McDaid believed that Optima had the skills and passion to develop the appeal.  Speaking about the commission Erin said:

“The chance to buy Attenborough Nature Reserve, which is part of our charity’s DNA, was a once in a lifetime opportunity so we had to get the appeal messaging and designs just right. I had no hesitation in putting in the call to Simon at Optima. Right from the outset it was clear that they were passionate about helping us achieve our goal.”

 The company worked alongside a team from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust to develop the ‘Lifeline’ theme – linked to a reference made about the reserve by Sir David Attenborough – and to create a visual toolkit for use in print items and across the charity’s website and social media platforms.

Attenborough Lifeline Appeal visitor centre graphic

Mr McDaid continued: “We really enjoy working with Optima and knew that they had the creativity and attention to detail needed for this vital project. We were delighted that they agreed to work with us on it but hadn’t expected their offer to develop the initial creative and design toolkit on a pro bono basis. This was a tremendous boost and helped us keep the costs of the appeal down – which is always a key consideration for a charity of our size.”

 Speaking on behalf of Optima Managing Director Simon Shaw said:

 “Optima’s relationship with the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust spans decades. Their passion and dedication shines through everything they do and when we heard about the campaign to secure Attenborough Nature Reserve’s future, we were keen to help. It has been a pleasure to contribute our creativity and work with the team in creating a strong identity for the campaign which reflects the charm of the reserve, but didn’t detract from the key message that called for support and donations to protect its future, which was hanging in the balance.”

Attenborough Lifeline Appeal logo with Short Eared Owl

Launched on November 25th after just 10 weeks the total stands at more than £1,133,000 including over £250,000 in donations from private individuals.

Simon added: “We were delighted to receive the call from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust to say they’d not only reached, but exceeded, the fundraising target. Fantastic news for the Trust, the reserve and its wildlife, and of course the wider public who can continue to enjoy the reserve and all it has to offer safe in the knowledge that its future is looking bright.”

Whilst the initial target has now been exceeded Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is still keen to receive donations as the more funds it can raise the more it will be able to do to care for and improve the reserve once it completes the purchase – which is expected to take place later this year. 

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