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<p>The 25 Year Environment Plan, published in January 2018, sets out the government’s
ambition to improve the environment within a generation. A key commitment is to encourage
children to be close to nature, in and out of school. The government announced £10
million funding for the Children and Nature Programme which aims to support children
from disadvantaged backgrounds to have better access to the natural environment. The
programme has been designed to make it possible for schools to undertake a range of
activities in natural spaces, including learning about nature and how to care for
the natural environment.</p><p> </p><p>As announced by the Environment Secretary on
31 January, grants have recently been awarded to projects in the Children and Nature
programme. Resilience through Nature, a consortium of The Wildlife Trusts, YoungMinds,
Groundwork, the Sensory Trust and Field Studies Council, have been appointed to the
Nature Friendly Schools project which will help deliver greener grounds and pupil
visits to green spaces for schools with the highest proportion of disadvantaged pupils.
Social Farms and Gardens, working with Thrive, will deliver the Growing Care Farming
project which aims to achieve a transformational change in the scale, scope and uptake
of care farming services in England for children and adults with a defined health,
education or social need particularly those from disadvantaged areas. Funding for
the Community Forests and Woodland Outreach project is yet to be awarded.</p><p> </p><p>The
announcement on 31 January marked the beginning of the 2019 Year of Green Action.
Over the next 12 months government will work with businesses and communities to create
ways for people from all backgrounds to connect with nature, protect our environment,
and contribute to restoring our natural world.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the 2019 Year
of Green Action, the nationwide <a href="https://www.iwill.org.uk/environment/" target="_blank">#iwill4nature</a>
initiative, led by charity Step Up To Serve and backed by government will support
a series of activities for young people to connect with, protect and enhance nature.</p>
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