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Getting to know your greenspaces: help shape nature on your doorstep

Following the launch of our 'Getting to know your Greenspace' project, we are now approaching communities to get involved and help shape what happens next. 

19 Feb 2026

Made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the programme runs until December 2027 and focuses on building meaningful, lasting connections between people and the green spaces on their doorstep.

Contact with nature plays a vital role in both physical and mental health. Research consistently shows that regular access to green spaces helps people feel better, supports wellbeing and can even reduce health inequalities and increase life expectancy. Yet it is often urban communities — those who could benefit the most — who face the greatest barriers to accessing nature.

That’s why Getting to know your Greenspaces is focused on listening first.

Working with communities

The project will work alongside residents in Burton upon Trent, Swadlincote and Coalville. A “greenspace” could be a park, nature reserve, play area or even a small piece of grass on a housing estate, what matters most is that it belongs to the community and feels welcoming and accessible to everyone. The aim is to better understand why some people do not regularly use their local green spaces, whether due to confidence, awareness, accessibility or other barriers, and to work together to create activities that build stronger connections between people and place.

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Three phases, shaped by local voices

The project will unfold in three key phases:

  1. Finding our Communities
    We will collaborate with local community-based organisations and partners to identify groups and audiences who would most benefit from accessing greenspaces. At the same time, we will map and audit the green spaces across the three towns to understand what is currently available and what they offer.
     
  2. Talking to our Communities
    We want to hear directly from residents. We’ll meet with groups and individuals to talk about their local green spaces — especially those who don’t typically spend time outdoors or may not feel that these spaces are “for them.”
     
  3. Working with our Communities
    Up to three groups or audiences in each town will be supported to co-create activities that encourage greater use of local green spaces. These activities will be community-led and could include wildlife walks, creative sessions, sports or physical activities, and social gatherings.

Community groups involved in the programme will also have the opportunity to apply for grants to help deliver their own activities in local green spaces, supporting even more people to experience the benefits of being outdoors.

Growing a greener, fairer future

Getting to know your Greenspaces is part of our wider commitment to ensuring that nature is accessible, inclusive and welcoming to all. By working directly with communities and putting their ideas at the heart of the programme, the project aims to create lasting change — not just events, but stronger relationships between people and the places around them.

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Help shape the future

For more information or to find out how your group can get involved, please get in touch. 

Contact us

With thanks to National Lottery players

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