NEWS: Groundwork releases five year strategy to create a fairer, greener future for all

Groundwork has set out its vision for the next five years in a strategy designed to create a fair and green future in which people, places, and nature thrive.

Read the strategy

In the midst of an ever-growing cost of living crisis, the community charity’s bold plans put key emphasis on the importance of tackling social and environmental issues in tandem in response to startling statistics that show:  

  • Almost 3 million people in the UK used a food bank in the last year and 40% of people report feeling worried about being able to afford food
  • 2.8 million people in the UK do not have any publicly accessible green space within a 10-minute walk of their home
  • More than a million adults and nearly three-quarters of a million children in the UK live in neighbourhoods where air pollution is double recommended level
  • More than 6.5 million households are experiencing fuel poverty with 21.5% of excess winter deaths attributable to cold homes
  • More than 40% of adults in the UK report feeling anxious about the environment and globally 60% of children and young people say they are extremely or very worried about climate change

Four key goals

In response to this, the Groundwork strategy breaks down the charity’s mission into four key goals, with a focus on tackling social and environmental injustice and helping to build more resilient communities and a more sustainable economy.

  1. Helping to create a greener economy by:
    – embedding environmental skills into programmes of education and employment support and providing supported routes into entry-level green jobs
    – expanding work to help businesses benefit from sustainability and to nurture green enterprise
  2. Helping people connect with nature by:
    – creating and improving more inclusive and accessible open spaces, where they’re most needed
    – helping more people improve their health and wellbeing by engaging in outdoor activities and environmental action
  3. Responding and adapting to climate change by:
    – retrofitting homes to improve their energy and water efficiency
    – supporting more communities prepare for extreme weather through training, capacity building and the design of natural solutions
  4. Helping more people overcome hardship and isolation
    – supporting more people to reduce household bills and live in healthier homes
    – growing Groundwork’s network of community hubs – places where people can connect with neighbours, access support and volunteer

Groundwork is a federation of charities, operating at a local-level across the UK with a collective mission to support communities and businesses to build capacity and resilience in order to tackle hardship, achieve a just transition to net-zero and help nature recover in a way that reduces inequality and leads to healthier, happier lives for all.

Groundwork has a footprint in communities across the UK supporting thousands of local projects and delivering strategic programmes in partnership with the likes of Tesco, Cadent Foundation and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

A lot of talking and a lot of listening has gone into the development of our new strategy, which sets out what Groundwork can contribute to the urgent task of alleviating hardship while creating a just transition to a net zero economy. Our work is all about connection – connecting people with each other in their communities, connecting us all with nature and helping to connect those who feel overlooked or left behind with opportunities in a green economy. We want to thank the many partners that support our work locally and nationally as we rededicate ourselves to our mission. Groundwork began as an experiment more than 40 years ago, testing whether, with the right support, communities were willing to mobilise to care for the environment on their doorstep and to use that as an opportunity to develop their skills, confidence and prospects. As we face up to the challenges we see around us – economic hardship, social division and extreme weather – we need to continue experimenting and innovating and continue supporting communities to find solutions to the issues that matter to them.

Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive

Notes to Editors

For more information please contact: media@groundwork.org.uk

About Groundwork

Groundwork is a federation of charities with a collective mission to take practical action to create a fair and green future in which people, places, and nature thrive. We support communities and businesses to build capacity and resilience in order to tackle hardship, achieve a just transition to net-zero and help nature recover in a way that reduces inequality and leads to healthier, happier lives for all. www.groundwork.org.uk