Natural England - Project case stories

Project case stories

These are examples of some of the work that has been funded by the Access to Nature scheme.

  • Discovering Nature at Lawrence Weston Community Farm: (344kb)pdf document
    Lawrence Weston Community Farm, Bristol
    Grant: £123,000
    This project focuses on improving access to a very underused area of woodland, providing opportunities for local communities to develop an interest in, respect for, understading and enjoyment of the natural world.

  • Sowe Valley Project: (494kb)pdf document
    Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, West Midlands
    Grant: £211,512
    This three 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 the community. By engaging local people to undertake practical conservation activities along the river corridor it aims to manage and improve biodiversity, and by training and educating people with a real and thorough understanding of their natural environment, its importance and the benefits it brings, the ambition is to leave a legacy well beyond the duration of the project.

  • Setting the Scene for Nature: (281kb)pdf document
    Community Forests North West Ltd, Merseyside
    Grant: £345,000
    The project was set up to change local people's perceptions of the sites by engaging them in a series of events, activities and learning opportunities designed to inspire them to value nature and develop a sense of ownership for the sites. The project will complement the changes that the capital investment is bringing and ensure that they are long lasting and make a real difference to the area and the communities that live there.

  • Discovery Quest: (120kb)pdf document
    Julian Housing Support Trust Ltd, Norfolk, East of England
    Grant: £319,997
    This project provides unique, challenging outdoor activities for adults with severe and enduring mental health problems who live in deprived areas of Norfolk. This November saw the completion of its first six-month walking therapy programme that is central to the project.

  • Mosaic: (278kb)pdf document
    Campaign for National Parks, Flagship project, England-wide
    Grant: £923,314
    Only about 1% of visitors to National Parks are from ethnic minority communities, although about 10% of the population is from an ethnic minority background. This important statistic is the fundamental driver behind the Mosaic project as its key aim is to get more people from BME communities involved with our National Parks by linking 20 cities with the country’s nine national parks.

  • Explore Moor - Geltsdale community outreach project: (183kb)pdf document
    RSPB, Cumbria, North West
    Grant: £99,000
    The RSPB Reserve at Geltsdale is a wonderful upland Cumbrian landscape, yet there are many people practically on its doorstep who have little or no experience of it. This project has set in motion a range of community outreach activities to get more people from all backgrounds to enjoy, understand and appreciate the relevance to their lives of this fantastic landscape. In particular the project works with young people from urban and rural local communities who have had little or no experience of the amazing wild places on their doorstep.

  • Let Nature Feed Your Senses (LNFYS): (84kb)pdf document
    Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) and The Sensory Trust, England-wide
    Grant: £960,330
    The Let Nature Feed Your Senses project is an initiative run by LEAF and The Sensory Trust. It provides opportunities for some of society’s least privileged people to spend time in the countryside learning about food, farming and nature and aims to work with 10,000 visitors over the next two years.

  • Green Academies Project (GAP): (87kb)pdf document
    The National Trust
    Grant: £211,000
    The aim of this project is to get 16 to 24 year olds who are out of work and out of education caring for the green sites on their doorsteps. It also gets them connecting with their local communities and, very importantly, gaining qualifications.

Access to Nature project video

Montage of Access to Nature projects, shown at the Making Links event in Birmingham.

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