Bringing nature home

By Kate Austin, Communications Officer, Nature Towns and Cities Programme

A new mission to bring nature to urban neighbourhoods in towns and cities across the UK was recently announced, to benefit millions of people over the next decade.

Nature Towns and Cities is a coalition of organisations united by the ambition to enable everybody to experience nature in their daily lives, particularly those places and communities currently lacking access to quality green space.

an adult and young child volunteer in a community garden talking to each other. — The Parks Foundation in the community garden in Redhill Park, Bournemouth ©National Trust Images / James Dobson

Get involved

Over the next decade, the programme is aiming to work with 100 towns and cities across the UK, supporting them to transform their urban landscapes for people and nature, and create greener, healthier, more resilient towns and cities. Acting as a catalyst, Nature Towns and Cities provides an opportunity to join a network of like-minded individuals, teams and organisations working to transform places for their communities. Whether connecting with peers across the UK or developing new partnerships locally, the programme offers many ways to get involved.

This includes a varied calendar of events showcasing projects and places that have put their plans for urban nature into practice. They’re always free and offer a space to learn, be inspired and connect with others. Aimed at a wide-ranging audience (from those working in local government, to individuals within charities or community organisations), events offer support to those thinking about becoming a Nature Town or City, through to deep diving on topics such as unlocking funding and finance for urban green spaces. See what’s coming up and catch up on past events: Join in - Nature Towns & Cities.

Also on the Nature Towns and Cities website, you can find a growing resource library. As well as pulling together the latest evidence, case studies, new guidance and expertise to support urban nature work the team curate and signpost to other guidance and resources across the sector.

a children's play area within a park, surrounded by trees and old buildings. — Nottingham Highfields Park ©National Trust Images / Paul Harris

For a taster, try one of the “Get started with…” resources, which pull together inspiration, how-to guidance and evidence under popular topics:

Unlock funding for green and blue spaces
Mobilise a city-wide volunteering force
Develop partnerships to put health at the heart of green space.

What’s happening next for Nature Towns and Cities

This autumn, work is getting underway on projects covering 40 towns and cities across 19 partnerships, funded through grants from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, from Portsmouth to Bradford in England, to Fife in Scotland, Torfaen in Wales, and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Some of the plans include:

An 8km regional park heritage trail in Ealing
Over 3,000 young people in Coventry learning new green skills through citizen science projects
The construction of an “environmental justice map” to help prioritise investment and develop designs for 18 projects in the North Lanarkshire area.

an adult, holding a young child, checks on soup for lunch in a garden. — Granton Community Gardens, Edinburgh ©National Trust Images / Rebecca Hughes

Welcoming more Nature Towns and Nature Cities

This summer, Birmingham was declared England’s first official Nature City, with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole collectively named the first Nature Towns.

The designation recognises the local authorities’ commitment with their partners in those places to transform life for urban communities by providing more and better nature and green space. Birmingham’s commitment to place nature at the centre of everyday life is set out in its ambitious City of Nature plan, with the idea that access to nature is a right and not a privilege at its heart.

an adult uses a watering can in a garden, next to a stone wall. There is a greenhouse in the background. — Starbank Park, Edinburgh ©National Trust Images / Rebecca Hughes

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council will work together with partners to build on their work to bring nature to the heart of communities, connecting green spaces across the whole landscape, delivering more things to do and ways for people to get involved in neighbourhood green spaces, and partnering with local businesses to bring in crucial funding.

Applications for accreditation are open and can be made by place-based partnerships made up of the local authority, VCSE organisations, private sector, and other public sector stakeholders. At this time, accreditation is only open to those in England, with conversations taking place regarding making it a full UK offer. Applications are made through the Nature Towns and Cities website, where you can also explore the tools and support available.

For more information and to get involved with Nature Towns and Cities in general, visit www.naturetownsandcities.org.uk