Access to nature

• give a picture of the scale of volunteering across London’s green & blue spaces
• inform the development of a volunteering strategy for these spaces in London
• explore what links there are at a local PCT / health sector level between health improvement programmes and green space provision.

• the demand for volunteering in parks and greenspaces in growing demand is outstripping supply
• 94% of landowners wanted to expand volunteering on their land
• 90% of health orgs want to be linked to green space volunteering (13 PCTs replied)

Neighbourhoods Green was established as a partnership programme following a conference held in 2003. The conference identified the need to raise the profile of the green and open spaces under the ownership and management of social landlords; the aim being to improve their design, management, use and enjoyment.

Led by Notting Hill Housing Trust and Peabody, the partnership was supported by CABESpace, English Nature (now Natural England) and Groundwork London, with a focus primarily on London.

Key Objectives

• To evaluate the status and profile of greenspaces owned by social landlords in London (with intention that this would be rolled out nationally)
• To prepare a tool-kit training and further guidance to aid social landlords and their resident communities in the design, management and safe use of their green spaces
• To establish and support a network for champions and expertise with the social housing sector to strengthen internal capacity and understanding
• To advocate for appropriate policies incentives and resources to enhance greenspace quality under social housing providers.

Staffing The partners recruited Nicola Durrant as Project Co-ordinator in Autumn 2010 to support further development of the project.  T: 020 7067 1079 e-mail: nicola.durrant@housing.org.uk

Mapping data Natural England have commissioned a range of evidence gathering to inform the Neighbourhoods Green project. Using mapping data, we have been able to identify social housing developments across London and their associated greenspace availability. We’ll use this information to help create more places for people and nature.

Natural Estates has evolved through the Neighbourhoods Green Partnership, an initiative that aims to highlight the importance of green spaces for residential social housing and to raise the quality of their design, management and safe use within social housing providers. The project has also been informed by NE funded consultation and scoping work on a number of social housing estates.

Natural Estates was awarded £288,359 by the Access to Nature grant scheme in July 2010. The London Wildlife Trust is hosting this project on behalf of 8 Social Landlords and the Natural Estates Steering Group.

The project will employ 2 officers who will work closely with the residents of 9 social housing estates to improve the estates green spaces through Activity Based intervention. The London Wildlife Trust have identified a range of enhancement projects that will improve both the quality and biodiversity of each site, most of the work identified can be completed by residents engagement works. Interventions have been chosen because they can accommodate a high degree of involvement from residents and volunteers.

Neighbourhoods Green website - The web-site, has recently relaunched, and is managed by Nicola Durrant, Neighbourhoods Green Project Co-ordinator, T: 020 7067 1079 e-mail: nicola.durrant@housing.org.uk

‘A Natural Estate’, Neighbourhoods Green & Natural England supported document

‘Decent homes, decent spaces’ demonstrates case studies of good practice

Access to Nature is now closed to new applications. In London 12 projects were awarded, totalling £2.7million. The projects involve work in boroughs across London, engaging people from a variety of backgrounds in the natural environment.  Work includes: environmental workshops, green wood working, creating nature areas at community centres, getting involved with rivers in Lewisham, bushcraft sessions and conservation days at local sites, training programmes, family days out, school sessions, education packs, wildlife enhancements and natural play opportunities.

The projects run for 2-3 years.  They will create over 20 jobs, 104,260 direct beneficiaries and 3,000 volunteers.  With match funding total spend is estimated at £5.1 million.

Natural England commissioned the Childhood and Nature survey; one of the key findings found that Children spend less time playing in natural places, such as woodlands, countryside and heaths than they did in previous generations. Less than 10% play in such places compared to 40% of adults when they were young.

As a result, Natural England launched its One Million Children Outdoors campaign, this aims to help children to both enjoy the outdoors and giving them a meaningful experience. In London we have already been helping to engage children with the Natural Environment through a range of projects.

• Natural Play: we are working with London Play to increase the number of natural play areas that are incorporated in parks. London Play has developed a mobile natural play unit to introduce children and parents to this concept.
• Farm Educational Access Work: We are exploring opportunities to organise visits of city children to farm in South East and East. The aim is to foster greater understanding of the natural environment and the source of our food.
• Natural Connections: Natural England is running a pilot programme aimed at fostering greater connection between primary schools, local green spaces, and their surrounding communities. In London we have been working with primary school children in the vicinity of Mayesbrook Park. The park is going to undergo a redevelopment project, including river restoration. In the first phase of the project children from the schools undertook an arts project to produce material that was used in a consultation event.

The ‘play invaders’ kit is a range of portable equipment that can be utilised to recreate natural play opportunities

Natural Play ‘how to guides’

• Teaching packs about local trees, woods, and forestry and forest industries
• A directory of local sites and their facilities
• Developing woodland settings in school grounds
• Hosting INSET events for teachers
• Theatre productions
• Forest schools