The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
South Holland has been ear-marked as a ‘focus site’ for part of £5m of funding towards new nature habitats.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced the funding UK wide as part of the Nextdoor Nature project.
It’s not clear how much will be spent in Lincolnshire, but the county’s Wildlife Trust says it will go to 15 projects with South Holland listed as a priority alongside Boston, Cleethorpes, Gainsborough, Grimsby, Mablethorpe and Skegness, which have all been identified as focus areas.
A spokesman for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust said: “Delivered by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Nextdoor Nature will give communities in these areas 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 pandemic has demonstrated just how important access to a well-cared for natural environment is to communities across the UK.”
Paul Learoyd, chief executive of Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, said: “We know that people want to take action to improve their neighbourhoods but often it’s hard to know where to start. Nextdoor Nature will let communities set their own agenda about the environmental issues they want to tackle and we’ll be looking at different ways of bringing people together and giving them support, skills and confidence to take the next step.”
Simon Thurley, Chair of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “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.”
Liz Bonnin, president of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “We humans are key to solving the climate crisis and restoring our natural heritage. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, but Nextdoor Nature is working to set that right, putting local communities at the heart of helping our wild places to recover, and making sure that no matter where we live, we can be part of this crucial endeavour.
The Wildlife Trusts are firmly rooted in communities and can provide support and advice to those willing to lead the charge in bringing wildlife back to homes and workplaces – in turn inspiring those around them to do the same. We can achieve incredible things when we work together!”
