The Conservation Volunteers’ team in Manchester has incredible news of a £99,537 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support a project that will empower women and girls from racially and ethnically minoritised communities. The volunteer group will lead the recovery and protection of urban nature in Old Trafford while helping to create a sustainable future for the area’s natural heritage.
The project will focus on the network of urban nature spaces across Old Trafford, including parks, grasslands, road verges, gardens and community green spaces that provide vital habitats for wildlife. These spaces support species such as hedgehogs, swifts and a wide range of pollinators, all of which face increasing pressures from habitat loss, urban development and climate change.
Urban nature is an important part of Old Trafford’s heritage and provides everyday opportunities for people to connect with the natural world. For many women and girls from South Asian communities, these local green spaces are the most accessible places to experience nature, improve wellbeing and explore cultural and faith-based connections to environmental stewardship. Without this investment, many of these voices would remain underrepresented in local nature recovery efforts, and opportunities to strengthen community-led conservation could be lost.
Through this project participants will develop skills in environmental leadership, science and nature conservation. Women and girls from local communities will be supported to record wildlife, take part in habitat restoration activities and help shape the future management of urban green spaces. The project will increase understanding of local biodiversity while encouraging more people to become involved in protecting nature on their doorstep.
As part of the project, a group of women have already taken part in an inspirational conservation trip to a Swift Street, where they built swift nesting boxes and learned more about practical action to support these much-loved urban birds.
Youth Muslim girls involved in the project also achieved the John Muir Award in the summer, recognising their commitment to discovering, exploring, conserving and sharing their experiences of nature.
Volunteers who attended previous sessions said: “We want to learn more and do more for the nature you have showed us about.. it feels safe and empowering to do this together as a group.”
“These sessions have taught us a lot about nature where we live which we didn’t know before. We want to learn more so we can find ways to help.”
“Happy to get outside and learn new things about nature and would like to carry on learning more with the support of other women.“
This project will increase connection with urban nature and green spaces for South Asian women and girls, tackling health inequalities. Our project addresses barriers and opportunities highlighted in the Natural England 2022 report ‘Included outside: Engaging people from ethnic minority backgrounds in nature’:
- Celebrating diverse perceptions and enjoyments of what is ‘nature’.
- Increasing representation in urban nature
- Celebrating togetherness and cultural connection in nature
- Providing common entry points to nature access
- Addressing barriers to access to embed nature conservation into the regular routine of the community but are currently missing the skills and nature conservation experience.
The project will contribute to the conservation of urban habitats and species, improve access to nature, strengthen community participation and help address the lack of diversity within the environmental sector. By working collaboratively with local people and organisations, the project will help build long-term capacity for nature recovery and develop a new generation of environmental leaders from within the South Asian community.
Rebecca, TCV Senior Project Officer, said:
“We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, our project will empower women and girls from minoritised ethnic communities to become environmental leaders, helping to protect and restore Old Trafford’s urban nature while ensuring more people can connect with and care for the natural heritage on their doorstep.”
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For more about the local team and volunteering opportunitiesm, visit tcv.org.uk/northwest and follow @TCVManchester on Instagram.
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