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Green-fingered guru and champion of nature Alan Titchmarsh joined forces with the Big Lottery Fund and Natural England yesterday to help people across England get in touch with and enjoy their natural environment.

View pictures of Alan Titchmarsh

BIG has awarded £25 million to Natural England for its Access to Nature initiative, an England-wide scheme that will see tens of thousands of people from all backgrounds coming together to learn more about nature and enjoy the great outdoors.

Access to Nature will fund projects in urban, rural and coastal communities that will encourage more people to enjoy nature and the environment. It is particularly focused on helping people who currently have little or no contact with the natural environment to get back in touch with the natural world.

The award comes from BIG’s Changing Spaces programme, which improves rural and urban environments for communities across England.

Sir Clive Booth, Big Lottery Fund Chair, said: “This initiative is about engaging communities in the improvement of their local environments, promoting wellbeing, regenerating green spaces and supporting the growing and use of local food.  

“The Natural England scheme aims to provide 1.7million people with improved opportunities to enjoy the natural environment.  We look forward to seeing the positive impact of this scheme in communities across England.”

Helping to launch the Access to Nature scheme, Alan Titchmarsh said: “Nothing gives me greater pleasure than getting close to nature so I’m delighted to support this Natural England-led scheme which is going to broaden the opportunities for many more people to do just that.

"Learning about and caring for our environment has never been more important and I think this is an excellent use of Lottery money, bringing our communities together to rejuvenate existing, as well as creating new natural places."

Sir Martin Doughty, Chair of Natural England, said: “Everyone, wherever they live, whatever their background, should be able to enjoy our natural environment. The Access to Nature grant scheme will increase the opportunities for everyone to enjoy the outdoors and learn more about our rich natural heritage.”

Natural England will open the Access to Nature grant scheme to applicants in early 2008 and will be awarding grants of between £50,000 and £500,000.

Further information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102 030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• The Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme was launched in November 2005 to help communities enjoy and improve their local environments. The programme funds a range of activities from local food schemes and farmers markets, to education projects teaching people about the local environment.
• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to Good Causes. As a result, over £20 billion has now been raised and more than 250,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
• Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. We conserve and enhance the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it brings. More info about the scheme can be found at www.naturalengland.org.uk/accesstonature
• Natural England is delivering this programme as the lead organisation in a consortium of 11 other organisations who have helped shape and develop it. The consortium comprises Natural England, the Wildlife Trusts, BTCV, the Woodland Trust, British Waterways, RSPB, The National Trust, Groundwork UK, Land Restoration Trust, Greenspace, Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission.