Generation Green project launched

Northumberland National Park Authority has been awarded funding as part of a Generation Green project aimed to help young people engage and recover with nature.

Thousands of young people are to be given the opportunity to connect with nature through new jobs, training, volunteering roles, residentials, and outdoor learning experiences, thanks to the award of a c.£2.5 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund grant to a coalition of not-for-profit outdoor education providers, including Northumberland National Park.

The grant has been awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund on behalf of the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to the Access Unlimited coalition, comprising of YHA (England and Wales), The Outward Bound Trust, Scouts, Girl guiding, Field Studies Council, and the 10 English National Parks.

The grant will fund the coalition members’ ambitious Generation Green Project which will prioritise young people from different ethnic, cultural and disadvantaged backgrounds. It will deliver activities including micro volunteering, self-guided learning, visits to the National Park, and social action / citizen science projects.

As part of the funding, Northumberland National Park Authority will employ a dedicated Youth Ranger who will be responsible for the delivery of the project within the Park. They will be based out of The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre and will work with existing and new partners to engage with young people in the North East across the National Park.

A young child looking a small rodent
A young girl making a bat box with a National Park Ranger
A young girl being helped to make a wooden musical instrument
A young boy looking through a solar scope
Children gathered around a Ranger to look t a small mouse

Green Recovery

Tony Gates, Chief Executive of Northumberland National Park Authority says: “We are excited to receive this funding from the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, which helps support our plans for a green and inclusive recovery.

“This ambitious project is aiming to connect children and young people with quality experiences in our national landscapes each year, creating ambassadors for a sustainable future and improving children and young people’s wellbeing.

“Our aim at Northumberland National Park is to help young people from all backgrounds have access to, and engage with our unique landscapes and environment. Now, more than ever, recovery with nature is vital and through the award-wining Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre, we have engaged with a range of urban and rural youth projects. This new Green Generation fund will help to amplify our efforts even further and connect more and different people with the National Park.”

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