Wildlife Trusts

London Wildlife Trust

Charlie Sims, Director of Visitor Experience at London Wildlife Trust, said: “Connecting people with nature isn’t as simple as opening the gates—it’s about removing physical, social, and financial barriers to accessing wild spaces. It also means creating relevant and inclusive programmes that help everyone feel a genuine sense of belonging in nature. This funding enables us to accelerate our Learning & Engagement work and bring wildlife back to the heart of communities across London.”

The funding will be used to support the running of London Wildlife Trust’s Wild About Learning outdoor education programme for schools and families. Each year, with this generous funding the Trust will run 150 school sessions reaching more than 5,600 pupils, and deliver more than 250 family learning sessions for 2,500 children. London Wildlife Trust will also install a nature play and learning space at Woodberry Wetlands in Hackney in 2026 and a sensory wildlife garden and education hub at Gunnersbury Triangle in Hounslow in 2028. www.wildlondon.org.uk

Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust

“We are incredibly excited at the opportunity that Championing Nature provides to us,” said Delia Garratt, Chief Executive. “The funding offered through Championing Nature will enable Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust to deliver deeply rewarding education and engagement activity to some of the most at risk and nature deprived young people in England, enabling these young people to release the immense benefits that can be had from a connection to the natural world.”

Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust will use the funds provided by Championing Nature to deliver a wide-ranging new programme of education and community engagement. The Trust will offer interactive nature based education sessions to schools in Birmingham, prioritising schools with the lowest access to green space. We will also create a new year round series of nature focused outreach events open to young people and the wider community. Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust will also invest in a major overhaul of our iconic environmental education site, Centre of the Earth. www.bbcwildlife.org.uk

Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be working on this exciting new partnership,” said Rory Andrews, Greater Manchester nature recovery manager. “This collaboration will provide a huge boost for both people and nature in Wythenshawe—helping to create greener, healthier spaces and inspiring more local residents to connect with the natural world on their doorstep.

“Together, we’re laying the foundations for lasting change that will benefit communities and wildlife for years to come.”

Using the funding, the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside will support a transformative community-driven initiative that addresses the decline of nature in the Wythenshawe area of Greater Manchester, fostering a sense of collective responsibility and belonging by empowering the community, and children, young people and families in particular, to care for local wildlife and green spaces. This will include learning workshops, school partnerships, skill development, community volunteering, habitat restoration and species recording, with the aim of creating a nature corridor through this urban environment. www.lancswt.org.uk

Northumberland Wildlife Trust

Northumberland Wildlife Trust covers the areas of Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside as well as Northumberland. Championing Nature is primarily focussed on our urban and suburban areas, where access to nature is more challenging.

“This new partnership is an amazing opportunity to scale up our efforts to engage urban communities with nature as never before,” commented Mike Pratt, Chief Executive. “Championing Nature is ambitious and long term in its approach so we can enable communities to connect to wild places in more meaningful ways. It will be an ongoing celebration of how transformative connecting with nature can be in everyone’s daily lives.

“We are very excited to be part of this journey to increasing nature awareness and appreciation and the wellbeing of people from all backgrounds.”

Northumberland Wildlife Trust will increase nature connection for children and young people through educator upskilling, school partnerships, nature reserve visits and a youth activism programme. The Trust is in the final stages of tendering for the provision of managing a section of a much-loved country park in North Tyneside for the next 40 years. If the Trust is successful, they will co-design the investment with the local community which would go towards improved engagement infrastructure within the section they will manage. www.nwt.org.uk