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A transformative initiative in Lincolnshire, aimed at uplifting poorer communities and marginalized groups by engaging them in nature conservation and restoration, has received a significant boost with a £1.9m award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The project, named Wilder Connections, is centered at the expansive 770-hectare Doddington estate. It aims to provide various opportunities for local communities, encompassing wellbeing, education, and skills development. The initiative will foster mental and physical health benefits while bolstering the local economy.
This investment will be complemented by an additional £250,000 from Anglian Water over the next four years. A coalition of local and national partners, including the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Field Studies Council, Hill Holt Wood, and the University of Lincoln, will support and implement the scheme.
"We believe that community, learning, and engagement must sit at the heart of efforts to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises and that nature has huge power to transform people's lives for the better," said Claire Birch, CEO of Doddington Farms and chair of the Doddington Hall Conservation Charity. "This belief sits at the heart of the Wilder Connections vision.
"Over the next four years, Wilder Connections will use the funding to demonstrate the value of nature recovery for our local community and create exciting opportunities for people to play their part in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises. Aware that collaboration and scale are key to building impact, Wilder Connections will also work to inspire land managers, NGOs, and policymakers to adopt similar approaches by demonstrating the effectiveness and resilience of local partnerships in improving the natural environment and how initiatives such as Wilder Connections can become sustainable business models."
Funded activities to increase access to nature include volunteering, citizen science programs, and learning and skills development for people of all ages related to habitat restoration, bird and insect population monitoring, and river and soil health. Wilder Connections said data collection will run across all projects to help track nature's recovery, shape future restoration decisions, and provide a blueprint for similar projects to follow.
Moreover, the initiative will support 'Wetter Better,' a project spearheaded by the Freshwater Habitats Trust and River Restoration Centre. This project aims to re-wet extensive areas of previously intensively farmed and drained land at the estate. The goal is to enhance biodiversity by boosting animal, insect, and plant diversity, improving resilience to extreme weather, enhancing water quality, and reducing downstream flood risk.
"We are delighted to announce £1.9m in funding for the Wilder Connections project," said Robyn Llewellyn, Midlands & East area director at the National Lottery Heritage Fund. "Thanks to National Lottery players, the local communities surrounding Doddington Estate will be able to work together to protect and restore the natural environment around them, ensuring these important outdoor spaces are accessible to all."
Wilder Connections highlighted recent research showing that despite Lincolnshire being one of the UK's foremost farming regions, the local population scores second from bottom for access to nature out of all the counties in England. According to government data published last year, only 31 percent of adults in the wider region believe that spending time outdoors is an important part of their lives. The Green Spaces Index also claimed that Lincoln and its surroundings do not meet the minimum standard of provision for green space in the UK.
Moreover, the initiative will support 'Wetter Better,' a project spearheaded by the Freshwater Habitats Trust and River Restoration Centre. This project aims to re-wet extensive areas of previously intensively farmed and drained land at the estate. The goal is to enhance biodiversity by boosting animal, insect, and plant diversity, improving resilience to extreme weather, enhancing water quality, and reducing downstream flood risk.
Building on insights from a pilot programme run in 2022, Wilder Connections aims to increase access to nature for local people, especially among poorer communities and marginalized groups.
The project plans to create longer-term income streams over the next four years. A vital component of this strategy is developing a Passive-Haus-certified building known as the "Wild House." This flexible space will host over 2,000 volunteers, students, school and community groups annually.
"Large-scale nature recovery, be it land or river-based, offers hope for successfully tackling the overlapping nature and climate emergencies," said Chris Gerrard, head of landscape transformation at Anglian Water. "It also helps to deliver a cascade of benefits for people, including improved health and wellbeing, enhanced connections with the natural world and education, employment and volunteering opportunities.
"We are delighted to be able to support the Wilder Connections initiative through its Wetter Better programme. Working with a host of river health and biodiversity experts, we hope that over the next four years, we can help accelerate nature recovery and river health in Lincoln and the surrounding region whilst also helping to share our learnings so that other regions of the UK can benefit too."
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