Helping 200 communities improve their quality of life by creating or enhancing green spaces?  How?  Read it here.....
Recreation

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More about Doorstep Greens

Ladbroke, Warwickshire
For people who experience disadvantage, regeneration of the local environment is a crucial factor, often overlooked in building a community's capacity to grow.

In Doorstep Greens, a two-stage grant process enables groups to carry out thorough and extensive consultation, training and planning of their project, before applying for a 'full' grant to support their project.

Natural England believes that community involvement in environmental regeneration is essential to succesful and sustainable projects. But 200 Doorstep Greens is a 'drop in the ocean', and we are aware of many more areas in need of help and funding to create usable green spaces.

Is there a typical Doorstep Green? No - It's up to individual communities to design one to suit their needs!

Doorstep Greens include things like:

  • a grassy events area and nature garden with banks of wild flowers; 
  • a small orchard of fruit trees; 
  • a new footpath across the Green that links to the bus stop; 
  • a circle of rock seats carved with local children's designs; 
  • level grassy area that can be used for community events and ball games; 
  • a play space with animal sculptures and nearby seating.         

We looked for applications where:

  • new or improved green space is created in an area of need; 
  • the wider community is actively involved in its design, creation and long term care; 
  • there was strong local support for a Green; 
  • disadvantaged people particularly benefit from the scheme; 
  • areas of natural planting are included
  • the Green will be safely accessible to everyone; 
  • it is freely open to everyone during the day; 
  • the scheme fits with local authority plans for the area.         

We sought applications from:

  • partnerships of community groups and landowners, including local authorities; 
  • existing community organisations; 
  • informal community groups prepared to form new organisations and partnerships to deliver their Doorstep Green.         

What help is available?

Expert help can be bought in to help projects. This could be in the form of a landscape architect, or someone who helps to get the best out of consulting local people about their ideas for the Green. Local people can go for training if it helps the Green from book keeping or project management, to tree maintenance and running community art events.

Can I apply for Doorstep Green funding?

No - we closed to new applications in April 2003 in order to reach our target of 200 completed projects by April 2006.  We had sent out more than 7,000 leaflets to interested groups who contacted our Call Centre, and over 1,250 groups expressed a formal interest, making a first stage application.