Natural England - Grants awarded 2009
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Grants awarded
Grants awarded 2009
Other years: 2010 | 2009 | 2008
| Date | Organisation and project name | Brief description of project | Region | Type of Organisation | Amount of grant awarded | % of total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | Foresight Project (North east Lincolnshire Ltd)
Wheely Natural | This project will enable individuals with a disability living within Grimsby, Cleethorpes and surrounding areas of North East Lincolnshire to access the sport of cycling using specially adapted cycles. In addition the project will deliver informative talks raising awareness of the natural habitat and environment surrounding each cycle route. This pre-recorded information will be relayed to each individual via “Audio Navigator” with additional information about the route given by the cycle leader on the day. | Yorks and Humber | Registered Charitable Organisation | £96,000 | 80% |
| Jan 2009 | Salisbury Festival
The Nature of Art in Wessex | The Nature of Art in Wessex is a creative enterprise that will engage communities in six different areas in the South to use all of the colour and flair of the arts to access their natural environment. The communities will develop the work themselves - so there will be a strong connection and relevance for all participating groups. All projects will be showcased internationally, nationally and regionally through the platform of the annual Salisbury International Arts Festival. | South West | Charitable Trust | £99,986 | 89.6% |
| Feb 2009 | Julian Housing Support Trust Ltd
Discovery quest - Norfolk Walking Therapy Project | This project will provide unique, challenging outdoor activities for adults with severe and enduring mental health problems, who live in deprived areas of Norfolk. A six-month walking therapy programme will enable beneficiaries (service users) to complete a range of objectives, including the opportunity to:
Discovery Quest is about more than just walking. It stimulates and educates participants in conservation and environmental awareness through the John Muir Award, and Leave No Trace principles, and aims to promote and encourage healthier lifestyles, reduce the impact of social exclusion, and actively promote the opportunity for social interaction’. | East of England | Charitable incorporated organisation | £319,997 | 78% |
| Feb 2009 | LEAF/Sensory Trust
Let Nature Feed Your Senses | Let Nature Feed Your Senses is a new partnership between LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) and the Sensory Trust that will develop greater understanding of the relationship between nature, farming, food and our everyday lives. Through seasonal visits to the countryside and innovative activities, training and learning techniques, the project will demonstrate how barriers to accessing nature can be overcome and enable groups to fully engage with everyday nature. Events and activities will take place throughout England, on farms, nature reserves, education centres and city farms. In particular the project will address barriers that impact on people with physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities and socially excluded groups. By providing interactive sensory rich experiences it will encourage people to go beyond just visiting, to becoming emotionally connected and actively involved with the natural world. | Flagship | Charitable incorporated organisation | £960,330 | 70% |
| Feb 2009 | Warwickshire Wildlife Trust
Sowe Valley Project | The River Sowe runs through the City of Coventry meandering through a diverse range of communities, each unique in its make up. This 3 year project will bring to life the river and its wonders to local people, many of whom may have failed to even notice its presence within their community. Engaging local people to undertake practical conservation activities along the river corridor each aimed at managing and improving biodiversity, and by training and educating people with a real and thorough understanding of their natural environment, its importance and the benefits it brings aims to leave a legacy well beyond the 3 year duration of the project. | West Midlands | Charitable Trust | £211,512 | 80% |
| Feb 2009 | Woodland Trust -
VisitWoods | VisitWoods, the first comprehensive, interactive website showcasing virtually all publicly accessible woodland in the UK is to be created by the Woodland Trust, working with a host of partners, and with grant funding of £1.2 million from ‘Access to Nature’. A creative and wide-reaching communications campaign will reveal the rich possibilities of the woods that lie within easy reach of millions of people in the UK. The VisitWoods website will be a gateway to searchable maps, inspiring ideas, free downloadable resources, information and pictures provided by wood visitors and direct links to thousands of woodland websites.
VisitWoods will work with at least 20 partner organisations representing young people, older people and people with disabilities to bring woods to new audiences, including working particularly with Action for Children, Walking the Way to Health Initiative, and regionally with the people of East Durham. Through innovative partnerships and new volunteering opportunities, VisitWoods aims to give people the inspiration, information and confidence they need to get out and get visiting! | Flagship | Charitable incorporated organisation | £1,217,605 | 66% |
| Feb 2009 | Severn Gorge Countryside Trust –
Telford Access to Nature | This partnership project aims to engage and involve people from deprived communities, and individuals experiencing social exclusion in Telford with local green spaces, by providing a series of opportunities to reconnect with nature. This will include establishing a local user group to audit current site provision working with the Fieldfare Trust and carrying out access improvements, arts, training and Forest School events. Much of this green space will be the land managed by the Severn Gorge Countryside Trust, within the Ironbridge Gorge as well as other land throughout Telford. | West Midlands | Charitable incorporated organisation | £309,249 | 80% |
| Feb 2009 | North Norfolk District Council -
Improve health, communities and the natural environment by working out in North Norfolk | The project provides opportunities for people to improve their health, fitness, mental and social wellbeing through participating in conservation work. This work will help maintain, improve and sustain the natural environment of public sites in North Norfolk. Anyone over aged 16 can volunteer. People with additional needs such as long term health conditions, physical or sensory disabilities, learning difficulties or mental ill health who may find it harder to get involved in conservation work will be particularly welcome.
Volunteers will have opportunities to learn new practical skills as well as increase their knowledge about the natural environment. Improvements to all the public sites will benefit the wider community. Community challenges will also take place. People will be able to work together in their geographical communities to improve and maintain a specific area of the natural environment in their neighbourhood for the benefit of their community. | East of England | Public sector – local government | £178,095 | 80% |
| Feb 2009 | RSPB -
South Essex People and Wildlife Programme | The South Essex People and Wildlife Programme is based in 930 hectares of RSPB green space and at locations across South Essex and the Thames Gateway, including Wat Tyler Country Park near Basildon. The RSPB is creating an adventurous and creative programme guaranteed to inspire local people to take pride in and appreciate the uniqueness of their local natural heritage. The new programme will encourage people to understand the local environment and take practical conservation action to improve their quality of life and the environment around them. Through the programme the RSPB’s aim is to become even more visible and accessible to a greater diversity of audiences, and to place wildlife, a healthy environment and active communities at the heart of sustainable living and regeneration in the Thames Gateway area. | East of England | Charitable incorporated organisation | £500,000 | 61% |
| Feb 2009 | Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust -
People and the Dales | This project is based at the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. The focus is working with deprived, excluded and individuals from BME backgrounds, disabled groups, young and urban people living around the Yorkshire Dales who have had little or no positive experience of the countryside. The emphasis is on the provision of positive and enjoyable activities which utilise the special qualities of this magnificent landscape and will inspire, enthuse and encourage individuals to return independently with family and friends. Links between rural and urban communities will evolve and training for keener individuals will develop skills for organising further visits. This will encourage a sense of ownership of this national park as part of our national heritage and inspire people to develop a sense of ownership for local green space back home. | Yorkshire and Humber | Charitable trust | £196,923 | 66% |
| Feb 2009 | Wiltshire Wildlife Trust –
There is Space Here! | Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s project ‘There is Space Here!’ will work to increase the ability of military communities in the county to access local natural spaces through the creation of up to six community conservation areas and the development of the local knowledge base.
The project will involve working closely with military communities and MOD stakeholders, and will deliver a programme of conservation-based activities as well as an online Toolkit to enable other military communities in the UK to create their own natural spaces. It will also help these communities gain a greater understanding of how their local nature reserves interact and form part of a much wider ‘living landscape’. | South West | Charitable Trust | £230,404 | 80% |
| Feb 2009 | National Trust
South Birmingham Green Academies Project | The Green Academies Project (GAP) aims to develop new opportunities for 3,000 people from South Birmingham and a further 7,000 from Birmingham and the West Midlands to access and appreciate the natural environment on their doorstep. By creating new patterns of partnership working between the National Trust, youth and community organisations, vocational training providers and local conservation organisations, GAP will equip disadvantaged young people (14-25 yrs) from targeted areas in Longbridge, Kings Norton, Bartley Green and Quinton with the skills, knowledge and vision needed to participate in the development and delivery of a Greenspaces Community Engagement and Learning Portfolio.
In addition, young people will have clear progression routes so that they can develop their social and vocational skills. GAP aims to do this through the delivery of pre-entry to Level Two courses and the development of a new National Trust apprenticeship scheme. | West Midlands | Charitable incorporated organisation | £211,327 | 37% |
| Feb 2009 | Halton Borough Council
Artery of Life | The Artery of Life project aims to reconnect local communities with nature on their doorstep, using the Mersey Estuary as the focal point. Working across the two unitary authorities of Warrington and Halton, the project will encourage more people to understand, appreciate and enjoy the outdoors through a range of activities that have strong community appeal.
The project will create new physical access to the upper Mersey estuary and develop a new community wetland reserve. It will also run a number of innovative and inclusive programmes to link various parts of the community to the natural environment, including through environmental education, nature encounters events, biological recording and developing multi-media engagement tools. Activities will focus on young people and disadvantaged communities in Runcorn and Warrington. The project will create the building blocks for an Upper Mersey Estuary nature reserve; a landscape-scale approach to delivering environmental benefits for people and nature. | North West | Local authority | £215,096 | 49% |
| March 2009 | Durham County Council
North East of England Access to Nature through the John Muir award | This project aims to encourage and enable more young people to access the countryside in a spirit of enjoyment and responsibility through the appointment of a full time regional manager/leader to develop the proven and successful John Muir Award in North East of England.
The John Muir Award is an environmental award scheme focused on ‘wild places’. The wild places in which activities take place range from small green spaces within a city, to coastal islands and to mountain tops. Award aspirants carry out Discovery, Exploration and Conservation activities in a chosen wild place and share their experience and learning with others. | North East | Local authority | £99,000 | 90% |
| March 2009 | The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough -
The Great Outdoors Project | Through the Great Outdoors Project the Wildlife Trust will engage existing and new local communities using five Local Nature Reserves in Corby, Northampton and Wellingborough.
The project will work with groups currently under-represented in the Trust’s interactions with local communities in Northamptonshire namely young people, people from black and ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities. A dedicated Community Officer will engage new audiences as well as the audiences that already actively support conservation work. This will be achieved by seeking to better understand and reduce the barriers to participation experienced by different groups. After consultation opportunities will be tailored to encourage more people from these groups to take part. The project will encourage more people, groups and schools to visit the five Local Nature Reserves, learn about the natural world and take action for their local wildlife and green spaces through practical works and supporting local groups. | East Midlands | Charitable incorporated organisation | £97,085 | 78% |
| March 2009 | Abney Park Trust -
Engaging Nature in Abney Park | Abney Park, once an elaborate Victorian garden Cemetery, is now a 32 acre wooded local nature reserve. It is of great ecological and historical importance internationally and also represents a valued local green resource. With this new grant the Abney Park Trust, who manage the site, will expand opportunities for people of all ages to engage with nature and take part in projects and workshops which will enable them to learn about, enjoy and appreciate the natural environment. Based around healthy outdoor activities local people especially will get a hands on experience of nature normally not found in such an inner city environment. The new opportunities will involve free environmental education, training, craft workshops, nature trails, volunteering and community involvement. | London | Charitable trust | £96,986 | 90% |
| March 2009 | South Gloucestershire Council -
Wildways – for nature, for communities, for people | The South Gloucestershire ‘Wildways’ project will work along the eastern fringe of Bristol, focused on the communities within the Priority Neighbourhoods of Kingswood, Staple Hill and Cadbury Heath. The aim of the project is to give people the opportunity to experience and access their natural environment in innovative and enjoyable ways. It will work with a variety of groups who have traditionally found it difficult to access the natural environment, including young people, people with disabilities, carers, people recovering from mental health problems, adults with learning difficulties and others. The project will work with a variety of partners to deliver a broad range of projects under the following four themes - ‘Closer to Nature’, ‘Naturally Active’, ‘Branching Out’ and ‘Celebrating Orchards’. | South West | Public sector – local government | £100,000 | 53.2% |
| March 2009 | Circle of Life Rediscovery CIC -
Call of the Wild | Based in Sussex, Call of the Wild offers new and innovative environmental programmes for young people, particularly targeting disadvantaged groups of young people such as those not in education, employment or training. Tailored programmes will create opportunities for new groups to get more involved with the natural world including youth training and woodland programmes that lead to formal accreditation.
This project will provide unique education programmes and the opportunity for those from disadvantaged communities to gain accreditation from undertaking the training provided. All programmes will also encourage participants to progress to higher level awards and access other programmes available to them to develop pathways to learning. | South East | Community Interest Company/Social Enterprise | £100,000 | 72.25% |
| April 2009 | The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country -
Black Country Living Landscape Community Involvement programme | The Black Country, comprising Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and the City of Wolverhampton is home to over a million people. Despite bearing the scars of 200 years of industry, its patchwork landscape has many remarkable greenspaces and an unexpected abundance of wildlife reflecting the extraordinary diversity of its underlying geology. But with a few notable exceptions, much of this rich heritage is hidden or underused.
The Black Country Living Landscape Community Involvement Programme is a 3-year project which will help the people and communities of the Black Country forge new links with their local wildlife sites, enabling them to discover and care for their Local Nature Reserves and other natural greenspaces. By promoting access, understanding, involvement and volunteering Black Country Living Landscape will achieve lasting change by engaging local people with the transformation of the Black Country’s natural environment. | West Midlands | Charitable incorporated organisation | £442,438 | 74% |
| April 2009 | Groundwork London –
Access to West London’s Nature | This project will encourage new groups of people to engage, learn about, experience and appreciate the natural world within west London. This will be achieved through offering a wide range of activities from Educational and Practical Nature Conservation activities and Events. The project will be working with people who live within the London Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent, Ealing and Kensington and Chelsea.
The project aims to challenge people’s perceptions and value systems associated with the natural world, bringing about a lasting change in their lives and highlighting the many and varied benefits that contact with nature can bring. Groundwork London will achieve this by utilising existing green spaces in new and varied ways with activities taking place at various locations including Wormwood Scrubs Park & Local Nature Reserve, Little Wormwood Scrubs Park, Ravenscourt Park Nature Conservation Area and Old Oak Common Sidings Birch Woodland. Collectively these distinct sites support a wide diversity of plant and animal species, some of which are rare in London. | London | Charitable trust | £202,609 | 69% |
| April 2009 | Plymouth City Council –
Stepping Stones to Nature | The Stepping Stones to Nature project will deliver a unique vision, in which Plymouth’s local natural spaces are promoted as the first step on a journey to experiencing the wide ranging benefits which come from accessing the natural environment.
Local communities will take the lead on improving their local green spaces thus providing the opportunity to increase confidence and build enthusiasm for exploring natural spaces further afield. Trips and activities delivered in green space within and around the City will facilitate the ‘next steps’ in the project. The project will overcome perceptual barriers through this ‘Stepping Stone’ approach. Physical barriers will be removed through the delivery of quality improvements in green space areas. The project will broaden the appeal of natural spaces to new audiences, city wide, through community led festivals and events. The change in use and enjoyment of natural spaces initiated by the project will be sustained through the development of improved links between communities, health professionals and green space managers, a key component of the project. | South West | Public Sector – local government | £499,306 | 46.85% |
| April 2009 | Rushmoor Healthy Living -
Step into Nature! | Run by Rushmoor Healthy Living, this project combines appreciating the environment with healthy exercise. Available to people of all ages and backgrounds activities will provide an opportunity for participants to get out into the countryside, and, at the same time, learn about the wildlife and fauna within it – getting fit and healthy at the same time.
A large team of volunteers will be recruited by a dedicated Activity Leader to lead the walks, working with local experts who will provide information about natural habitats including birds, insects and vegetation. | South East | Charitable organisation | £99,000 | 41% |
| June 2009 | Swinton Lock Activity Centre:
A new boat for Swinton Lock | This activity centre on the South Yorkshire Navigational Canal and River Don will extend the number of people able to enjoy its activities with a special new boat fitted with lifts, fully accessible for disabled people and for wheelchair use to allow disabled people and local residents of all ages to experience the waterways. The new boat will be used to take groups of people, including disabled people, out on the canal to take part in informal and formal learning programmes about the rich wildlife environment of local waterways.
The centre is recruiting and training volunteers of all ages to assist with the project, to help with both the boat handling and with developing, and eventually delivering, the Learn about the waterways environment programme the project has developed. | Yorkshire & Humber | Charitable incorporated organisation | £78,000 | 31% |
| June 09 | Groundwork Northumberland -
Ashington Community Woodland | The North East is famous for its mining heritage and the site of Ashington Colliery was planted as woodland in the 1970s and opened to the public in 2005. This huge Community Woodland, a 133ha site is one of Europe's largest woodland reclamation sites yet still remains largely unknown and unexplored by the community on its doorstep.
The project will work with local communities to encourage them to establish community ownership of the woodland, tackle health inequalities through getting involved in outdoor activities - developing a range of events, workshops, educational and volunteering opportunities within the woodland for all members of the community. | North East | Charitable trust | £99,550 | 90% |
| June 09 | Lawrence Weston Community Farm -
Discovering Nature at Lawrence Weston Community Farm | Based at Lawrence Weston Community Farm in North West Bristol this project will focus on improving access to a very underused area of woodland, providing opportunities for local communities to develop an interest in, respect for, understanding and enjoyment of the natural world.
The project will give local people the chance to take part in fun and educational activities. The three year programme will include volunteering opportunities, learning and using woodland management skills and crafts, taking part in identifying wildlife and improving habitats, discovering green spaces in the area, developing Forest School activities, developing transferable skills and improving community cohesion. | South West | Charitable Trust | £99,000 | 80% |
| June 09 | Imayla -
Getting Out There | Getting Out There connects inner city communities with City Farms, Rural Community Farms, woodland managers, protected landscapes and campsites. It makes links between young people and families from Bristol and urban Somerset with the natural environment through a stepping-stone approach.
It starts off small with visits to local sites, moves out to bigger sites and eventually further afield to places such as Exmoor National Park. All include activities that have proven popular with young people and families - be it arts, music, media, bush craft, forest school or outdoor activities. The approach is designed to allow everyone to be able to access a variety of natural/rural places in the future and to build new relationships across cultural and geographical divides. | South West | Social enterprise/Community Interest Company | £249,500 | 79.9% |
| June 09 | SHEBEEN (Sheffield Black and Ethnic Minority Environmental Network) -
BME Outreach | SHEBEEN will work with black and minority ethnic BME communities and individuals in targeted areas of Sheffield with a series of events to encourage greater access and enjoyment of the countryside. This will range from guided walks in local parks and woodlands and trips to the Peak National Park, to taking part in an environmental photography course, angling and nature pottery.
It will also provide a range of opportunities for more in-depth involvement from taking part in one day of volunteering to three months placements in conservation work with local environmental organisations. The project will also include two ‘residentials’ in the countryside to bring together young people from diverse backgrounds who will participate in a broad range of environmental activities. | Yorks & Humber | Charitable incorporated organisation | £70,593 | 79% |
| June 09 | Sunderland Training and Education Farm -
Do It Like You Do It on the Discovery Farm | Run by the Sunderland Education and Training Farm, this project will work with local environmental groups and training providers to get more people involved in outdoor activities, helping to tackle anti-social behaviour and getting young adults into new activities, volunteering or training.
Specifically it will support local residents in taking ownership of areas within their own communities and improving them environmentally for their own use. It will also put on a number of ‘Discovery Events’ and training workshops for young people, provide learning activities for schools as well as working with young people to provide a pathway of skills development and qualifications in the environmental sector for disadvantaged and disabled young adults. | North East | Not for profit community business | £87,980 | 90% |
| June 09 | Bury Metropolitan Borough Council -
Bury Accessible Natural Green Space Project | This project will develop and improve accessible natural green space across the Borough of Bury - providing formal and informal training to people about how to manage the natural environment on their doorstep, including a wide range of activities in the management and appreciation of the sites and the natural assets of their area.
It will work with local communities to bring about significant physical improvements to local green spaces and through working with children and young people on projects will look to reduce anti-social behaviour as well as helping to create a new generation of community environmental activists. | North West | Public sector – local government | £232,471 | 80% |
| July 09 | Marine Biological Association - Blue Sound –
Reconnecting Plymouth communities with the sea | Tackling physical and perceptual barriers to accessing natural ‘blue space’ is key to this project. Run by the Marine Biological Association, it will use its expertise to get people involved in the marine environment of the Plymouth Sound and its estuaries and reconnect local people with the sea.
Working with local community and youth groups, as well as local environmental education experts, a new Blue Sound Action Group will support local people in developing their own activities and resources. Activities will range from seashore and snorkel safaris to beach cleans in target areas. Training resources and online and printed guides will also be developed and with appropriate permissions, the creation of temporary aquaria in schools and other centres. | South West | Charitable incorporated organisation | £388,286 | 79.44% |
| July 09 | Living Options Devon -
Countryside Mobility (South West) | This project will greatly increase the opportunities for mobility impaired people and their families to experience and enjoy the countryside across the South West. It will provide specialised mobility vehicles and ensure they are available for loan or hire at sites throughout the region.
This will be done by working with user groups and Countryside Managers to identify, audit and then help promote the project, as well as linking up with organisations which will host and book out the vehicles. This will rapidly improve the opportunities to visit the countryside for many tens of thousands of disabled and older people who live in or visit the region. | South West | Charitable incorporated organisation | £423,642 | 74.11% |
| July 09 | Sussex Wildlife Trust -
Access to Nature in Sussex | This project will give people from urban areas the opportunity to take an active role in the management of local green spaces while gaining new skills and confidence. It will work with people living in parts of Brighton & Hove and Hastings to provide greater opportunities for them to experience and enjoy the natural world on their doorstep.
The funding will offer people a broad range of opportunities and ways to get involved including: nature conservation holiday clubs for 6- 11 year olds; youth conservation sessions for 16 –25 year olds; adult conservation days making improvements to urban green spaces and a family events programme. A steering group made up of community representatives and health professionals will drive each activity forward. | South East | Charitable incorporated organisation | £274,697 | 71.64% |
| July 09 | London Borough of Lewisham -
People and Rivers | Lewisham's waterways are about to receive a boost to their profile with this project which will deliver innovative and exciting opportunities to get people involved with the borough's unique river network. Its rivers and riverbanks provide a wonderful habitat for a wide range of species including kingfishers, song thrushes, wagtails, water shrews, naturally seeding plants and a variety of freshwater fish.
Encouraging people to put on wellies and get into the rivers to experience this watery environment is new for most people. It's proven to be an extremely powerful stimulus for local communities to explore, learn and appreciate this fluid and changing environment, as shown in the photograph above. | London | Public sector - local government | £299,986 | 62.50% |
| July 09 | Sightlines Initiative
Early Learning in Nature | This project is designed to give children with limited access to natural environments sustained opportunities for engaging with nature. It will work with a number of early years groups who will regularly visit and become familiar with their very own ‘wild place’, engaging in exciting, imaginative and elemental learning.
A specially equipped bus will provide the children and their educators with transport from early years settings-nursery, school or playgroup – to a place of natural interest. It will offer a unique base from which to work, and make woodland sites accessible and viable environments for early years groups and help provide an unequalled opportunity for our youngest children to live and learn in the natural environment. | North East | Charitable trust | £311,670 | 80% |
| Oct 09 | BTCV
Access to nature in Leeds | Access to Nature in Leeds is a three-year project working with volunteers to create welcoming, well managed, wildlife rich sites across Leeds. It is led by BTCV, the UK’s largest practical conservation charity.
The project will provide a programme of opportunities for volunteering, environmental and conservation skills training, education and natural play, walks and wildlife gardening. As a result 20,000 people will be able to access and enjoy nature, particularly in less advantaged areas of the city. Working with Leeds Voice, it will also ensure that the community’s views on Leeds’ natural environment are included in the city’s longer term decision making to ensure that the positive experiences of Access to Nature in Leeds will last well beyond the project itself. | Yorks & Humber | Charitable incorporated organisation | £299,096 | 73% |
| Oct 09 | Neighbourhood Development Company, Nottingham
Walk on the Wildside (WOW!) | Walk on the Wildside (WOW!) will work in a diverse inner city area of Nottingham delivering a community focused approach to greater access to the environment. The project will bring together different faith, ethnic and interest groups within the community through a shared focus on accessing local areas in the natural environment.
It will provide a wide range of shared opportunities including guided walks, talks, trips, organised activities and volunteer work parties. It will also enable over 2000 children from five primary schools to visit local woodland and take part in environmental learning activities. Through these activities the project aims to build lasting links between different groups living in the same area, and to nature groups across the city, linking people more closely to their immediate environment and bringing a greater sense of belonging and well-being. | East Mids | Registered charity | £174,303 | 63% |
| Oct 09 | Scotswood Natural Community Garden -
Green Volunteering in Scotswood | Over the next five years the Scotswood Natural Community Garden will work with local volunteers to extend the activities on its present site into the surrounding district of Scotswood. By creating an exciting horticultural and landscaping scheme the project will look to regenerate the area and draw in local residents in this economically depressed area by helping renew local pride in their surroundings.
Projects being undertaken include the regeneration of the West Benwell Allotment Site and the maintenance and development of community spaces based on ex-demolition sites. These projects and specific training activities will give participants the opportunity to develop landscaping and horticultural skills, meet other volunteers and gain real work-experience, helping to improve their employability. | North East | Charitable organisation | £148,444 | 79% |
| Oct 09 | Hammersmith Community Gardens Association, London -
Get out there! | Based in Hammersmith, this project will train adults from disadvantaged backgrounds (such as homelessness and long term unemployment) in environmental management techniques. Participants will develop social skills and confidence as well as practical skills and we hope that many will go on to work as volunteers on environmental projects and it will also provide a pathway for those who want to go on to further training.
Another strand of the project will work with local families to encourage them to develop links with the natural environment. This will be done through a programme of visits that reflects seasonal changes, including a series of visits to the same spot throughout the year to carry out different activities. By making many of the trips by public transport the project hopes to encourage families to return independently. | London | Charitable incorporated organisation | £87,612 | 90% |
| Oct 09 | Treesponsibility -
Treewise | Treewise is a tree-planting and environmental education programme in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, aiming to involve young people in planting a minimum of 7,500 trees. For children in the inner urban and more deprived areas, the tree-planting will take place within the context of a three-day environmental awareness residential in which they will stay in a Scout hut in the wilds of the Pennines, experience locally sourced seasonal food, and take part in a range of walks and activities.
Through their participation in Treewise, the children will explore the interrelationship between human activity and the natural world, and learn about trees and traditional woodland management techniques such as coppicing. | Yorks & Humber | Not for profit community group | £94,000 | 87% |
| Oct 09 | Field Studies Council -
Vision South West | This partnership between the Field Studies Council and Action for Blind People will work with blind or partially sighted young people aged 8- 16 years. Participants will take part in an exciting residential visit to an FSC environmental education centre and then share their experiences back at home through the clubs run by Action for Blind People.
The project will give over a hundred young people the opportunity to experience the natural environment, increase their confidence and the change to share their experiences with their friends and family. | South West | Charitable incorporated organisation | £100,000 | 85% |
| Oct 09 | St Werburghs City Farm Ltd
Wild about St. Werburghs | This project based out of St Werburghs city farm and across a number of other wildlife sites will bring the area alive with wild walks and natural treasure trails. Activities will include; ‘play out’ days for children and families, including shelter building and traditional countryside crafts; inter-generational celebration and festival days; site-specific plays that explore the local environment and hands-on educational visits by schools, youth groups and other local community groups.
Through these activities and with the help of a core group of community volunteers, the project will connect all the urban green spaces in St. Werburghs so people are aware of them, have the opportunity to experience them and work towards making the outdoors, nature and wildlife a part of local communities’ everyday experience. | South West | Charitable incorporated organisation | £86,408 | 75% |
| Nov 09 | Open Road Visions -
Enjoying Nature and the Countryside in Tendring | Open Road is an established drug and alcohol charity working across Essex which aims to reduce harm to users, families and communities. Through this project it will provide structured, community activities, through a specially tailored conservation training programme to help participants integrate into their communities. As part of the final transitional stage to recovery and their treatment up to 90 participants over three years will each benefit from the six-session training programme and further environmental volunteering opportunities.
The training programme will take place in a woodland in rural Tendring and owned by Essex County Council and the specialist training will be provided by project partner and regional environmental charity, the Green Light Trust. | East of England | Charitable incorporated organisation | £93,683 | 90% |
| Nov 09 | Groundwork, Sheffield
Blue Loop | This project aims to get more local people enjoying and caring about the River Don and Tinsley Canal in Sheffield, known as the ‘Blue Loop’.
The project will do this in a number of ways including publicising the Blue Loop, how to navigate it, including information to support independent recreational activities, and information on its rich ecology and heritage. It will also provide a regular programme of volunteer days carrying out practical habitat management tasks on the Blue Loop alongside a varied programme of recreational and educational activities for local residents working with local community groups and organisations. To help local people get involved in the Blue Loop on a more long term basis the project will also develop training courses in skills which will enable volunteers to participate in habitat management tasks along the Blue Loop both during and after the end of the project. | Yorks and Humber | Charitable incorporated organisation | £100,000 | 80% |
| Nov 09 | The Prospects Foundation
Nature Walks in Hyndburn | This project will help people living in deprived areas of Hyndburn get more involved with nature through participation in expert-led Nature Walks and associated conservation activities and training events. The walks will introduce people to footpaths starting near their home and taking them through green corridors to visit biological heritage sites. An annual Nature Walks festival will be created with community groups central to designing the walks to ensure they fit with their needs and interests.
Having been ‘hooked’ by their Nature Walk experiences, volunteers will be encouraged to progress to get even further involved with nature. These include practical conservation work to improve key natural sites, training in relevant skills, promotional events, and developing community management of nature reserves and biological heritage sites. | North West | Charitable incorporated organisation | £123,33 | 66% |
| Nov 09 | Leeds Groundwork Trust -
CU in the Wild | CU in the Wild is a partnership project developed by Groundwork Leeds and Groundwork Dearne Valley, The Children's University and Link Telecom. The project will work with schools and youth groups from Bradford and Doncaster, in particular using technology to get them interested in their environment.
A tailored 10 hour Children’s University learning programme will be put together to enable after-school classes to engage the children in using Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to learn about their local environment. The wider community will benefit from the project through the setting up of Geo caches and the creating of mediascapes. These will be developed by the schools encouraging them to teach others and to create lasting resources for the use of the green spaces. | Yorks & Humber | Charitable Trust | £163,880 | 80% |
| Nov 09 | Making the most of what we've got
Otley Road and Barkerend Environment Project | This project aims to enhance the quality of life for residents by helping them to recognise and enjoy the natural environment around them both locally and further a field. It will provide opportunities for local people to access local parks and natural areas across Bradford and the nearby countryside such as the Yorkshire Dales National Park and North York Moors.
The project also promotes pride in the area as well as personal and community responsibility for environmental improvements. It will do this through supporting local groups and volunteers to identify areas in need of environmental improvement, advise them on methods to support local flora and fauna and signpost them to resources to bring about such improvements. It will also work to ensure that environmental issues are at the forefront of the local agenda through working with community organisations to promote the environment and raise awareness. | Yorks and Humber | Voluntary/community sector organisation | £89,266 | 89% |
| Nov 09 | Open Spaces, Open Minds
Connexions Kent and Medway | Open Spaces Open Minds is a conservation based project in the Shepway and Swale areas of Kent. The project is designed to work with young people who are at risk of disengaging from learning and to inspire them in an environmental setting.
Working in partnership with Groundwork Kent and Medway, NACRO Kent, White Cliffs Countryside Partnership, Kent Wildlife Trust, Shepway District Council and Swale Borough Council, the project will take place over a two year period in the areas of the Folkestone and Romney Warrens and the Country Parks at Church Marshes, Sittingbourne and at Oare Gunpowder Works, Faversham. During the project, the participants will work toward and complete an ABC Level 1 Award in Practical Environmental and Conservation Skills (QCF) and improve the key skills of self esteem, self-confidence and personal motivation. The project will create a strong sense of community ownership and respect for the natural environment in Shepway and Swale whilst building on strong working partnerships between the local authorities, voluntary organisations and schools. | South East | Charitable incorporated organisation | £82,030 | 66% |
| Nov 09 | Groundwork West Midlands
Urban Explorers | Urban Explorers will work with families in disadvantages areas of Coventry, to get them involved in range of environmental awareness and practical activities that will open up opportunities to help them appreciate and get closer to the nature on their doorstep.
This will include: Urban Explorer Training – courses aimed at helping volunteers to run nature focused events and activities for others; Urban Explorer Club – daytime clubs based in local parks and green spaces; Taster Events - aimed at wider community involvement, run throughout the year; Holiday Explorer Roadshows – nature themed activities during the school holidays. The project will also encourage family groups to set up their own nature based activity clubs. | West Midlands | Charitable trust | £161,937 | 79% |
| Dec 09 | CSV Ipswich
The Habitat Project | The Habitat Project is a joint venture from CSV and Greenways to get people of all ages and backgrounds in and around Ipswich involved in their local natural environments. While improving access to green space, the project will also recruit, train and up-skill volunteers, producing a team with the skills and commitment to continue the engagement and care of the natural environment into the future.
The environmental activities taking place will cover all aspects of green space development, care and management. Alongside this ongoing programme of work will be taster sessions, open days, information events and roadshows all promoting the green environments, which are accessible for all communities. | East of England | Charitable incorporated organisation | £356,669 | 75% |
| Dec 09 | The Gateway to Urban Nature project
Bolton Council | The Gateway to Urban Nature Project will provide opportunities for residents living in two deprived neighbourhoods of Bolton to get involved in the creation, enhancement and long-term management of two important, but underused pieces of green space.
In a new approach for the Council, it will bring together the skills and specialisms of three organisations, which are committed to developing the Borough’s open spaces, for and with the community in mind. Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Bolton Council & Groundwork Bury & Bolton will work with two very different communities to enhance the green space provision in their neighbourhood. Leverhulme Park and Haslam Park are the two sites at which will different approaches to engaging communities over a long-term will be piloted, by actively getting them involved in improving their local greenspace from the outset. | North West | Local authority | £172,000 | 78% |
| Dec 09 | The Dell-ve into Nature,
Scarborough Borough Council | The Dell-ve into Nature project is based in and around the main green space in Eastfield, a large suburb of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. The Dell, as it is known locally, is currently a fairly plain and under-used park, comprising of a tree lined beck and expansive close-mown grass slopes. The Access to Nature project aims to transform this into a rich wildlife habitat with greatly improved access, and new ponds, wildflower meadows, woodland and interpretation.
These physical improvements will be complemented by a team of one full-time and up to five part-time nature rangers, who will run a two-year programme of events and activities in the local community. The programme will include an exciting mix of environmental education and practical conservation tasks with something for everyone. The project is being delivered by Groundwork North Yorkshire in partnership with Scarborough Borough Council and the local community. | Yorks & Humber | Local authority | £175,000 | 77% |
