Coventry City Council has won a major grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, securing nearly £1 million to transform the city’s green and blue spaces, particularly in areas with limited nature through the ‘Green for All’ scheme. This will significantly improve public health and boost the city’s climate resilience.
Tackling nature inequality and transforming green spaces in Coventry
Through the ‘Green for All’ scheme, nature will be a central part of Coventry’s future. The funding will help revitalise parks, create new community gardens, restore waterways and develop natural corridors bringing vibrant, accessible green spaces closer to where people live. The scheme will also support the creation of school allotments, offering children a hands-on experience with nature and inspiring the next generation.
The Council will be setting up a new partnership to deliver the project and will be working with partners to transform how we plan, manage and make best use of our green spaces for nature and people across the city. Local people will be at the heart of the work and activities will include empowering local people to take part, providing training to staff and volunteers to improve nature conservation across the city, alongside, practical projects, with children and young people playing a vital role in shaping the future of the city’s natural environment.
The ‘Green for All’ initiative, in partnership with local organisations, community groups and schools, will deliver
- new green corridors and revitalised urban parks as part of Coventry’s Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy.
- co-designed green spaces with under-represented communities, empowering residents to shape and take ownership of local natural areas.
- upskilling the city’s workforce through new training programmes, apprenticeships and educational resources for schools and community groups.
- developing sustainable funding and innovation to protect and expand Coventry’s green spaces for the long term.
- supporting nature restoration of 30% of the city’s land by 2030, driving biodiversity and climate resilience.
A range or organisations from across the city will help to deliver the project including Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, John Muir Trust, National Trust, Historic Coventry Trust, Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire, Garden Organic and Coventry and Warwick Universities.
Watch our video: Coventry receives funding to improve green spaces
Community events
Green for All community events will be held later this year, and we would love local people to get involved.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund [https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/] is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Green for All is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to transform how we plan, manage and make best use of our green spaces for nature and people across Coventry.