John Clare Countryside attracts funds for Nature Schemes

Funding of £26,000 has been allocated to 16 areas through the John Clare Countryside project near Peterborough, one of six key Cambridgeshire landscape projects which aims to “turn the tide” in the fight against a decline in nature.

The grants follow the submission of Parish Nature Recovery Plans, with budgets then reviewed by organisations including the Peterborough Environment City Trust and Natural England. Projects include hedge and tree planting, pond and wildflower meadow creation and a campaign to encourage wildlife-friendly gardening, in the area west of Peterborough, south of the Welland, north of the Nene, and east of the A1 and the Nene Valley.

Supported by Natural Cambridgeshire and partners, with the whole project driven by local people, the scheme shows just what can be achieved when communities get behind an idea. Nature-based solutions will play a crucial role in addressing the challenges of our climate emergency and in post-Covid-19 recovery, and this initiative demonstrates ways in which local people can and are taking action to help nature on their doorstep.

More information about this scheme can be found here.

Image by local artist and printmaker, Carry Akroyd