We are absolutely thrilled to share some wonderful news. Eastside Community Trust has been selected as one of three community groups in Bristol to receive £100,000 from the citywide Nature Together project. Bristol Older Peoples Forum and Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust will also receive the same amount. This support will help us all deliver our neighbourhood nature plans from January 2026 through to December 2027.
Back in March, community organisations across the city were invited to express their interest in working closely with the council and local residents to shape and deliver nature projects right on our doorsteps. A total of 19 groups put themselves forward and after a careful assessment three were chosen. We are proud and grateful to be among them.
The Nature Together project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund which has awarded £984,000 to improve access to nature across Bristol, and £300,000 of this has been dedicated to the work of community organisations because local leadership is vital in helping people enjoy and care for our green spaces.
Councillor Martin Fodor, Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee summed up the excitement perfectly. He said:
“I can’t wait to see the brilliant ways these organisations use this funding to improve access to nature closer to where people live. In addition to seeing how their own plans develop, I’m also looking forward to working alongside them to develop new ways of working to improve nature in their communities.”
Stacy Yellend, CEO of Eastside Community Trust said:
“We have worked alongside residents for many decades empowering resident action in parks and green spaces and this project will renew this emphasis on community-led nature projects.”
Nature Together is a partnership effort involving Avon Wildlife Trust, Bristol City Council, Bristol Climate and Nature Partnership and Your Park Bristol and Bath. Part of the wider funding will support a new Greening Permit scheme giving communities more freedom to grow plants in council owned parks and green spaces. The project will also complete a series of green space quality and access audits helping us all learn more about what works and how best to improve nature in the future.
Bristol Older People’s Forum
This programme is part of the national Nature Towns and Cities initiative which aims to make sure millions more people can enjoy nature close to home. For Bristol this is another step toward achieving Nature City accreditation and unlocking even more investment for our parks and green and blue spaces.
We are excited to begin this next chapter and to continue working with the people of East Bristol to make nature part of everyday life. Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far. There is so much more to come.
