Breadcrumbs
'Opening Green Doors' to a better, brighter local environment - 11 May 2006
‘Opening Green Doors’, an evaluation of five years of Doorstep Greens, shows how new open spaces, play areas, nature reserves, village greens and flower gardens are helping to improve quality of life for communities everywhere.
Pete Johnstone, programme manager for Doorstep Greens, said: 'Doorstep Greens are as much about people as they are about place. The stories in the pages of 'Opening Green Doors' reflect the determination of people inspired to make a difference in their community. From creating play space and places for people to meet to encouraging wildlife, every Doorstep Green is different yet the commitment to the cause shines out from every Green'.
Dr Helen Phillips, CEO Designate for Natural England, said: “Communities care about the state of their local environment and Doorstep Greens show that, given the opportunity to have a say and be involved, they will do just that.
“Access to the natural environment enriches people’s lives and empowering people to care for their local green spaces can forge stronger communities. This is particularly vital for disadvantaged communities and an important part of Natural England’s work will be to increase opportunities for a greater number and diversity of people to experience and enjoy nature as part of their daily lives.”
The Big Lottery Fund’s ‘Green Spaces and Sustainable Communities programme’ has provided almost £13 million of funding since 2001, which, along with an additional £15 million of other funding, is helping to create nearly 200 Doorstep Greens in England.
Copies of ‘Opening Green Doors’, detailing five years of the Doorstep Greens programme, is available from: www.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/Recreation/DG/
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For more information please contact the Countryside Agency press office on:
Matthew Heard on 07900 608168
Beth Rose on 01242 533 306 or 07900 608052
Notes to Editors
Doorstep Greens
In September 2000 the Big Lottery Fund appointed the Countryside Agency as an Award partner to distribute grants through its Doorstep Greens scheme. The Doorstep Greens initiative closed to new applicants in April 2003. More information about Doorstep Greens is on the web at www.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/Recreation/DG/
Big Lottery Fund is the joint operating name of the New Opportunities Fund and the National Lottery Charities Board (which made grants under the name of the Community Fund). The Big Lottery Fund, launched on 1st June 2004, is distributing half of all National Lottery good cause funding across the UK. Details of the Big Lottery Fund’s programmes and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
The Countryside Agency
The Countryside Agency is the statutory body working to make the quality of life better for people in the countryside and the quality of the countryside better for everyone. It is a non-departmental body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The Agency is changing as the result of Defra's Rural Strategy 2004 and the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, which will:
- form a single new body - Natural England - that will integrate the Landscape, Access and Recreation division of the Countryside Agency with English Nature and most of Defra's Rural Development Service (RDS). Natural England will work for people, places and nature, with responsibility for enhancing biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas; promoting access, recreation and public well-being, and contributing to the way natural resources are managed - so that they can be enjoyed now and by future generations.
- establish a Commission for Rural Communities that will act as a rural advocate, expert adviser and independent watchdog, with a particular focus on disadvantage. Currently operating as a division of the Countryside Agency, the Commission will become an independent body.
These changes will come into effect in October 2006, at which point the Countryside Agency will cease to exist.
We may be changing, but our skills, knowledge and enthusiasm will continue to benefit people in rural England. To find out more about our work, and for information about the countryside, visit our website: www.countryside.gov.uk
