Cumbernauld Living Landscape has received a transformational grant of £1,375,000 from the National Heritage Lottery Fund for its Creating Natural Connections initiative. This funding will deliver significant improvements to Cumbernauld’s environment over the next four years and create a long-term change in the way the town’s people connect with nature.  

Thanks to support from players of the National Lottery nearly 3,000 primary school pupils will be given opportunities to explore nature. Groups including people at risk of poor mental health and young people at risk of disengaging from education, will be given specialist support to improve their well-being. And community organisations across the town will be helped to deliver environmental improvements in their local neighbourhood.

Ian Mackenzie, Living Landscapes Programme Manager, Scottish Wildlife Trust said:

“Involving people who don’t normally get the chance to benefit from nature is really exciting. We can help them feel that they really have a stake in the future of their community, and also unlock skills and confidence that they will have for life.”

A total area of urban woodland equivalent to 230 football pitches (230 hectares) will be sustainably managed, and more than 12,000 native trees will be planted. Three peat bogs surrounded by houses will be restored, and six new community rain gardens will help reduce the impacts of flooding. Across the network better managed urban wildflower meadows will boost pollinators and increase local biodiversity.

People will be able to explore and enjoy the nature on their doorstep thanks to 3km of new paths linking existing routes, and 5km of existing routes will be upgraded to more accessible for everyone.