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£300,000 nature funding for under-served communities in Wales

£300,000 nature funding for under-served communities in Wales

The South Riverside Community Development Centre
Green fingers and happy faces at the South Riverside Community Development Centre
Five of Wales’s most excluded and disadvantaged communities will be making the most of nature on their doorsteps thanks to ‘Local Places for Nature – Breaking Barriers’ grants.

Funding of almost £300,000 is being provided by the programme from the Welsh Government and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

We have been very encouraged by the response to the Breaking Barriers funding

Julie James, Minister for Climate Change

Launched in July, Local Places for Nature – Breaking Barriers offered grants for groups including black and minority ethnic, refugee, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities to connect with nature.

Communities in the top 30% of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation were also eligible for funding.

An urban garden in NewportAn urban garden in the Maindee area of Newport

Very encouraged by the response to Breaking Barriers 

Julie James MS, Minister for Climate Change, said: “We have been very encouraged by the response to the Breaking Barriers funding which we made available to widen participation and engagement in our Local Places for Nature programme.

“I would like to congratulate everyone involved in the successful projects, there really is some fascinating work to be done here that I look forward to learning more about as things progress.”

The successful projects

The projects getting a share of the £288,639 Local Places for Nature – Breaking Barriers funding are:

•    Travelling Back to Nature led by Romani Cultural & Arts Company, south east Wales, £78,137
•    Greening Riverside led by South Riverside Community Centre, Cardiff, £81,202
•    Greening Maindee Together led by Maindee Unlimited and the Community House Eton Road, Newport, £39,300
•    Connecting to Nature led by Llanelli Multicultural Network, £30,000 
•    The Green Connect Project led by Women Connect First, Cardiff, £60,000

The grant programme is part of the Welsh Government’s Local Places for Nature scheme which is committed to creating, restoring and enhancing nature ‘on your doorstep’.

Digging the ground at MaindeeDigging up the turf at Maindee

Spending time in nature has never been more important

“Looking after nature, helping people to understand it, spend time in it and value its importance has never been more important”, said Andrew White, Director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales.

"That is why we were thrilled to be working with Welsh Government to deliver the ‘Local Places for Nature – Breaking Barriers’ grant programme to help reconnect people from minoritised and disadvantaged communities with the natural world.

“The programme has aimed to engage a wider range of people with nature and will also help us gain a better understanding of the barriers they face to engaging with nature and identify potential solutions.”