Everyone needs green spaces

The Guardian reports a new YouGov survey commissioned by Groundwork which reveals the stark fact that 30% of 16- to 24-year-olds from lower income families say they never visit a local park – more than double the number from higher income families.  The importance of green spaces to young people’s social and physical development is well understood.…

From bare to beautiful

As part of Groundwork’s Active Neighbourhoods project in Birmingham, local residents wanted to make their area in Alum Rock more useful and attractive in the form of a garden. The existing site was a simple green triangle between the junctions of several roads. After an initial site visit, Groundwork’s Landscape Designer produced a design proposal. The scheme…

The Guardian asks …

Has hope become the most endangered species in conservation?  Adding: As wildlife continues to decline around the world, conservation has become a bleak calling. Can a new Optimism Summit help reframe the mission to save life on Earth? Jeremy Hance begins his article with this: “Want to hear a sad story? You could read this article of…

Wildlife Gardening Forum

Thanks to LEEF for alerting us to the Wildlife Gardening Forum International Conference on Wednesday 23rd November at the Natural History Museum in London. This is a ground-breaking (literally and metaphorically speaking) conference and will involve speakers from Germany, Belgium, Holland, Ireland and the UK, addressing  the theme of “What European Wildlife and Nature Gardeners can learn…

Yes! we can

Yes! Magazine has a feature by Jill Suttie on How to raise an environmentalist. It says that: “Encouraging children to form an emotional attachment to nature may be key to protecting our planet’s future”, and we know that this is a popular sentiment. But this is a more thoughtful piece than you often find about…

Wildlife Watch

This October, Wildlife Watch is  everybody to take action to help their neighbourhood bats. From planting insect-friendly plants, to building bat boxes, there’s a little something everyone can do.  It also has a competition: share insect-friendly plant displays for the chance to win great prizes, including a holiday with Forest Holidays, and a bat detector. Click here for…

LEEF Updates

LEEF has an update on recent research: A recent study into the impacts of pond management intensity, function and environmental variables on urban pond biodiversity of ponds in Stockholm has investigated which factors impact most on the level of biodiversity in urban ponds, as indicated by species richness of aquatic insects. The study suggests that varying intensities…

Nature Clubs

Inspiring stuff from C&NN on Nature Clubs.  C&NN says: “Over the past decade, C&NN has pioneered grassroots initiatives to connect diverse families to each other and the natural world through outdoor exploration and free play in nature. Because we believe that Family Nature Clubs (FNC) help to provide a critical base of engagement in the outdoors for…