A greener future for the North West as £2.6m funding announced
Blackpool, Liverpool city region, Salford and Manchester has recently received a funding boost of £2.6m in total, to help ensure people living in their areas can enjoy nature and green spaces, close to home.
They are amongst 40 towns and cities receiving a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of a new mission announced today.
Nature Towns and Cities is a coalition of organisations united by the ambition to enable millions more people to experience nature in their daily lives, particularly those places and communities currently lacking access to quality green space.
The first of its kind, this new programme announced by Natural England, National Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund aims to help at least 100 places across the UK to become greener, healthier, happier places for people to live and work.
Blackpool’s Greenwave project
Blackpool’s Greenwave project comes as the town undergoes significant regeneration, giving an opportunity to integrate green infrastructure into new developments. These will form part of a comprehensive strategy to improve existing green spaces, and create a connected network of multifunctional spaces across the town.
Blackpool’s project will develop a comprehensive 10-year Green and Blue Infrastructure strategy to enhance existing green spaces and create a connected network of multi-functional natural areas across the town.
The project will develop a vibrant network of Friends groups, create a social prescribing programme with local GPs, and establish a Community Investment Programme offering grants for tools and equipment. Through strategic partnerships with local businesses facilitated by Blackpool Pride of Place and the Business in the Community Responsible Business Network, corporate supporters will invest time and resources into nature recovery projects.
Green Infrastructure
As Blackpool undergoes significant regeneration through the Town Deal, Shared Prosperity Fund, and Levelling Up investments this is an opportunity to integrate green infrastructure into major developments like the new Multiversity campus and 3,000 planned homes.
The project will also explore new funding and investment ideas including corporate philanthropy, Biodiversity Net Gain, and the pooling of public sector budgets to fund nature-based solutions.
Building on successful collaborations like the North Blackpool Pond Trail with its 21 connected ponds, the GreenWave Partnership will develop a pipeline of 30 diverse projects across the town, ranging from community gardens to sustainable drainage systems.
It has been a real pleasure to see this partnership bid develop and we are delighted to have been selected to be part of the NTC programme.
Andrew Darron, Chief Executive, Groundwork Cheshire Lancashire & Merseyside.
Andrew continued: “‘It has been a real pleasure to see this partnership bid develop and we are delighted to have been selected to be part of the NTC programme. I am especially excited about the scale of our ambition – encompassing a strategic partnership focused on transforming the way of Green and Blue spaces are developed and managed – helping nature recover whilst improving the health, wealth and cohesion of our neighbourhoods across Blackpool’.”
Councillor Jane Hugo, Deputy Leader (Place) and Cabinet Member for Climate Change at Blackpool Council said: “I am delighted that the hard work of our GBI partnership has been recognised by this award of this funding. We are determined as an authority to play our role in supporting nature recovery and maximising the potential benefits of our Green and Blue Infrastructure. By embedding GBI into planning and regeneration, we’re not only enhancing biodiversity and climate resilience – we’re creating healthier communities, unlocking funding opportunities and making Blackpool a better place to live, work and visit.”
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “I am delighted to announce an investment of £15 million which will help 40 towns and cities across the UK better plan their urban nature recovery, connecting people and communities to their natural environment in the places they live. We have invested over £1bn in regenerating over 900 urban parks and green spaces over the last 30 years, helping nature thrive in towns everywhere – and this exciting initiative, working with partners right across the UK, will continue to build on this investment and give millions of people better access to nature close to home.’
For more information visit www.naturetownsandcities.org.uk
