Naturally Connected
Groundwork UK has partnered with Royal London to support community-led nature recovery initiatives in urban areas throughout the UK and Ireland.
Naturally Connected aims to empower local communities to connect with nature through a variety of projects aimed at improving, protecting, and restoring green spaces and boosting biodiversity in urban settings.
The £800,000 investment will run over two years, with projects designed to increase opportunities for people to experience and engage with nature within their own communities – ensuring that urban environments are more accessible for everyone.
Projects will include the creation of vibrant habitats for wildlife, the rewilding of former industrial sites to revive natural processes, and the restoration and management of woodlands, ponds, and wetlands.
As part of the programme’s focus on stewardship and capacity-building, volunteering opportunities will be on offer to local residents to encourage an active role in enhancing their surroundings. Many of these initiatives will bring communities together to plant wildflowers and trees, construct pollinator-friendly habitats, and develop practical conservation skills through hands-on volunteering activities.
Royal London colleagues will also get involved in projects to revitalise nature and biodiversity through volunteering and skill-building activities.
Groundwork Trusts will deliver the programme, alongside partners in Scotland and Ireland.
2026 projects
Castlemilk Park Community Wildflower Meadow & Orchard – Glasgow
Engaging the community to support biodiversity in their local area including encouraging pollinators by planting wildflowers and offering training in traditional skills such as scything meadows.
Community Nature Guardians – Aberdare
Involving local community members in conservation and sustainable land management volunteering to support a wide range of habitats at Dare Valley Country Park. Practical conservation tasks will include the removal of invasive species, meadow and grassland management, hedging, and habitat creation and restoration.
Connah’s Quay Nature Project – Llwyni Valley
Teaching volunteers how to carry out invasive species removal, wildlife monitoring, tree planting and habitat creation, as well as how to manage the green space going forwards for community and nature benefit as a resource and wildlife oasis.
Greening Bede – South Tyneside
Encouraging local people to take part in nature-connection activities that support the design and delivery of biodiversity enhancements including pollinator-friendly wildflower habitat creation, developing bat-friendly routes through woodland, and native spring bulb planting.
Grow Speke: Renaturing Grey Spaces – Liverpool
Empowering volunteers to further develop the Green Community Hub from once derelict urban land, transforming broken tarmac into an area of species rich wildflower embankments and planted biodiversity habitats.
Leeman Road Millenium Green – York
Supporting volunteers to create a densely planted, biodiverse micro-wood with native trees and shrubs to re-establish plant life and improve biodiversity after damage from invasive species removal.
Naturally Connected @ The Green Patch – Kettering
Working alongside local people with limited access to green spaces to co-design and deliver biodiversity enhancements at the Green Patch through practical workshops, volunteering and training in habitat management, species identification and biodiversity monitoring. Activities include pond restoration, wildflower meadow creation and tree and scrub planting.
Niddrie Marishal Nature Corner – Edinburgh
Transforming a corner of Hunter’s Hall Park into a wilder, nature-rich space that supports biodiversity, outdoor learning and community involvement. Activities include native tree and hedge planting and the installation of hibernacula for bees, butterflies, reptiles and amphibians.
Snipe Woods Community Led Biodiversity Project – Nottinghamshire
Reshaping the woods after its rapid ecological decline and neglect by restoring ecosystems and enhancing biodiversity, creating a wildlife haven where people can reconnect with nature.
Pegswood Community Park – Pegswood
Mobilising local volunteers to increase the biodiversity of the park. Activities include conducting wildlife surveys, implementing habitat enhancements for varied species and supporting the site to become a resilient wildlife refuge and nature corridor.
People’s Patch Hanley – Stoke-on-Trent
Enabling community volunteers to transform the site into a vibrant green space that supports pollinators, improves habitat connectivity and supports urban wildlife. Activities will provide opportunities for skills development, promote wellbeing and restore a sense of pride and ownership in the community.
Wild about Clayton Vale – Manchester
Reversing habitat decline by addressing ecological deficits in wetland, woodland and pond habitats. The project will also boost local confidence, build practical skills and increase engagement with nature in the community.
Wild in the Park: Herb Garden – London
Co-creating a herb garden with volunteers on the grounds of Alexandra Palace, providing opportunities for local communities to meaningfully connect with nature. Activities include nature audits, community science workshops, and the introduction of biodiverse, pollinator-friendly plants to support a wider range of species.
Urban Native Tree Network – Dublin
Delivering nature restoration, biodiversity enhancement and community connection through expanding hedgerows, introducing boxes for bats and birds, and planting native trees.
Find out more
For more information about Naturally Connected, please email: contracts@groundwork.org.uk