A ROOFTOP garden in the centre of Warrington is one of 15 community projects across the North West to have been awarded a “Nature Hub” grant of up to £6,000.
The grants, awarded by environmental charity Hubbub and funded by Starbucks, have been allocated to community groups and projects that aim to increase local access to green space, upskill communities, bring people together in nature and / or build climate resilience.
In total, more than £560,000 in grants is being awarded to 100 Nature Hubs projects across Great Britain with the aim of bringing nature closer to people and people closer to nature.
The landscaped roof garden in Warrington is on top of the Golden Square Shopping Centre car park and will be used to develop artist-led workshops and install a weather station to measure and build understanding of the link between nature and climate change.
Culture Warrington, in partnership with Warrington Museum, will use the grant to further develop its community roof and learning garden.
The space is designed to strengthen and extend the links between nature and climate change and the school curriculum. A weather station will be installed to help schools study hard data around temperature changes in green spaces Vs grey urban spaces, while the grant will also fund a new programme of artist-led workshops and events.
Research commissioned by Hubbub has revealed that more than a third of people in the north-west currently spend less than an hour a week in nature, however 46 per cent are keen to spend more of their spare time outdoors.
The poll showed that over three-quarters of people in the region feel better after spending time in nature. But more than half faced barriers to spending more time outdoors, including having no green space at all nearby, outdoor spaces being dirty or unpleasant and feeling unsafe in local green spaces.
Gavin Ellis, co-founder at Hubbub said: “Access to safe and inclusive green spaces, particularly in urban areas, is so critical to our mental, physical and social wellbeing. Improving the green spaces in our towns and cities also helps to improve biodiversity, cool our streets and provide fantastic opportunities to grow fresh produce. The Nature Hubs initiative is designed to make these natural spaces – and the many wonderful ways to engage in environmental activities within them – much more accessible for everyone.
“We received so many incredible applications from community groups across the region and are really excited to work with all our new Nature Hubs partners in the north-west to see the impact that these varied and ambitious plans will have on local communities.”
Amanda Moore, education and sustainability officer at Culture Warrington, said: This garden will be an invaluable tool for education on climate change and biodiversity for schools and other community groups. It’s designed to act as a bridge between our museum collections and the living world around us. We’re delighted to receive this Nature Hubs funding to enable us to extend our programme of activities and workshops, as well as train our garden volunteer team to further develop their love of gardening and nature to help benefit others.”
Alex Rayner, General Manager at Starbucks UK, said: “Since the beginning, Starbucks has been about more than coffee. Everyday across the globe, our partners support the communities in our stores and the neighbourhoods we are a part of. Starbucks UK Nature Hubs marks a new milestone in our aim to contribute positively to every community we serve, helping to transform local areas into vibrant green spaces that bring people together in nature. I am grateful to our partners for bringing them to life and can’t wait to see the joy and benefits they bring to our communities.”
