Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has been awarded £222,000 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to boost its Learning through Nature programme and engage people to help solve the nature crises.

England is among the most nature-depleted countries in the world. For nature to recover, science tells us we need more, bigger areas for nature, managed better and connected so that wildlife can move through the landscape.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust will use the funding to scale up its existing community programmes, including Nature Tots for 3-5 year olds and Junior Rangers for 11-18 year olds, and will offer subsidised accredited training to schools in five areas of Derbyshire.

The Trust is also expanding its Wilder Schools Programme to encourage more outdoor learning and will create six new traineeships to develop careers in community engagement and practical conservation following the success of its Working for Nature programme.

“Connecting people to nature is at the very heart of all the work carried out by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust,” says Lisa Witham, Head of Wilder Communities. “We need people from all ages and communities to engage in solving the wildlife and nature crises, and in turn become healthier and happier from connecting with nature.

“We know that children are more motivated to learn when outside and can create a life-long connection with nature from an early age. However, there is an increasing disconnect between children and the outdoor environment. We are also acutely aware of the green skills gap and understand the need for a green workforce and more green courses.

“To halt the decline of nature, this funding, made possible thanks to National Lottery players via the Heritage Fund, will enable us to embed conservation skills and nature connection in more people from an early age and beyond to elicit a love of nature and better understanding of how to protect it.”

The Trust’s Learning through Nature programme is designed to support everyone from babies to adults to be more connected to nature and become the conservationists of the future. This is delivered through using outdoor spaces for activities for children and young people, improving school grounds and providing confidence to embed nature into all areas of the curriculum.

Using a framework to gain skills and qualifications, these young people will be supported to find career opportunities in green jobs. The traineeships will provide opportunities for people who have not been able to access careers in the environmental sector due to barriers such as lack of finances, lack of experience, being part of a minority group, and learning and health needs to start their careers.

In addition, the wider environment will benefit from the learning cascaded, with habitat creation such as pond creation, habitat piles, bird homes and feeders providing key spaces for communities to enjoy together and engage with wildlife.

Find out more about Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s Learning for Nature programme.