The Nextdoor Nature initiative will be delivered by Durham Wildlife Trust to leave a natural legacy of the jubilee celebrations.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced a £5m investment for The Wildlife Trusts, aimed at creating a huge matrix of community-led rewilding projects across the country, with Durham Wildlife Trust being given a £90,000 share.
It is part of The National Lottery’s £22m overall investment to mark the jubilee and improve the lives of people from disadvantaged areas across the UK.
Wearside, Gateshead, South Tyneside and County Durham will benefit from its own project, with Nextdoor Nature giving communities the skills, tools, and opportunities 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.
Durham Wildlife Trust will support children and teachers in schools across Sunderland, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Darlington, encouraging them to work with the wider community such as faith groups or residents to make a difference for nature close to where they live.