The National Lottery Heritage Fund today (17 March) announced a £5million, 2 year investment in a ground-breaking initiative to create a matrix of community-led rewilding projects – improving the lives of people from some of the most disadvantaged areas across the UK and leaving a lasting natural legacy in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The funding is part of The National Lottery’s £22million investment to mark the Jubilee.

Scotland's elements of Nextdoor Nature will be delivered by The Scottish Wildlife Trust. Nextdoor Nature will develop new partnerships with organisations that work with diverse communities, help community leaders gain the knowledge and skills needed to lead action for nature within their community, and develop an online showcase of best practice examples of community-led action for nature to help inspire further change.  

It will give people the skills, tools, and opportunity to take action for nature. This could include
- establishing wild habitats and green corridors in areas of economic and nature deprivation,
- rewilding school grounds, or
- naturalising highly urbanised or unused areas. 

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and research shows 85% of people in nature-deprived areas say more natural spaces would improve their quality of life. The majority also say that having access to local natural spaces is more important post-pandemic. Nextdoor Nature will enable people to make this happen and in doing so, take steps to tackle the nature and climate crises whilst also addressing important health and wellbeing needs. 

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Simon Thurley, Chair of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, says:

“As part of The National Lottery family’s £22m investment to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, we are delighted to launch Nextdoor Nature, a transformational initiative which will give access to the natural environment to thousands of people who may not have fully enjoyed or appreciated it before. We hope that many people will, for the first time, get hands on with nature creating a new generation of champions for our precious natural environment.”