Summary
A major new countywide initiative to help communities protect threatened green spaces and wildlife sites is being launched, following a £1 million grant from The Summerfield Charitable Trust.
Details
The initiative, developed jointly by the Gloucestershire Nature + Climate Fund (GNCF) and Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership (GLNP), will give communities access to funding and expert support when opportunities arise to bring land into community ownership or secure it for nature. It is designed to tackle a problem already being experienced across Gloucestershire.
When a valued field, woodland or wildlife site comes onto the market, communities can find themselves competing against private buyers and developers. They may have only weeks to organise, raise money, obtain professional advice and make an offer.
Recent examples of communities taking action to protect land include Daisybank, Lott Meadow and Southcourt Green in Cheltenham, and Rodborough Fields, Juniper Hill Field and the Heavens Valley in Stroud. The new initiative will provide several ways of helping communities act quickly.
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These will include repayable ‘patient’ grants which give groups time to fundraise before returning the money to the fund, allowing it to be used again. Emergency grants will be available in some cases, particularly where communities in more disadvantaged areas need additional help.
Capacity grants will help groups establish themselves and access professional support, while ecological, organisational and legal advice will be available through experts within Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership and beyond.
David Owen, chair of trustees, The Summerfield Charitable Trust , said: “The Summerfield Charitable Trust is really pleased to support Gloucestershire Nature + Climate Fund with this innovative initiative, which has the potential to create a lasting legacy for nature, communities and future generations across Gloucestershire.
“What particularly impressed us was the ambition to empower local people to take ownership of the green spaces and wildlife sites they care about most, while helping to deliver landscape-scale nature recovery and improving access to nature for communities that need it most.
Report source: Punchline Gloucester
