Natural England

8 October 2007

The Big Lottery Fund has awarded £25 million to Natural England for its Access to Nature initiative, to help people across England get in touch with and enjoy their natural environment.

The England-wide scheme will see tens of thousands of people from all backgrounds coming together to learn more about nature and enjoy the great outdoors.

Access to Nature will fund projects in urban, rural and coastal communities that will encourage more people to enjoy nature and the environment. It is particularly focused on helping people who currently have little or no contact with the natural environment to get back in touch with the natural world.

The award comes from the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme, which improves rural and urban environments for communities across England.

Helping to launch the Access to Nature scheme, green-fingered guru Alan Titchmarsh said: “Nothing gives me greater pleasure than getting close to nature so I’m delighted to support this Natural England-led scheme which is going to broaden the opportunities for many more people to do just that.

“Learning about and caring for our environment has never been more important and I think this is an excellent use of Lottery money, bringing our communities together to rejuvenate existing, as well as creating new natural places.”

Find out more about Access to Nature.

See the full press release on the Big Lottery Fund website.