Norton Hall Children & Family Centre is creating a greener future in East Birmingham through a new funding award that will create green jobs, encourage green stewardship, and stimulate local residents to connect with nature to improve wellbeing and tackle climate-change.
Thanks to National Lottery players, Birmingham-based Norton Hall Children and Family Centre has received almost £600,000 over five years from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK.   

The funding will be used to engage the local community in nature and climate learning activities, connecting them with the rural environment, increasing their connection to their surroundings and encouraging them to understand what it means to them.

Based at Ward End Park, a Green Flag accredited 54-acre public green space with a lake and the Wash Brook, the new WASH Project is based at the Dolphin Women’s Centre, a learning and connection hub with local café, and Ward End Park House.

Suzanne Knipe, Chief Executive of Norton Hall Children and Family Centre, says:

“We are delighted to be awarded this funding to support real change across the communities we serve in Saltley, Ward End and Alum Rock. These are densely populated, urban neighbourhoods often with limited garden space attached to housing, but set in the heart of the community is the fabulous Ward End Park – a hidden gem! 

The WASH Project aims are focused on ‘connecting communities with nature’. We want to engage with local people and encourage everyone to enjoy and help maintain this wonderful green space, and support the urban wildlife within it. Ward End Park is a nature-led environment for local people and we’re delighted to be working in partnership to make this a wonderful safe and enjoyable space for all.”

The WASH Project provides the platform for stimulating and embedding new localised thinking, greater social networks and sustainability change around the themes of food insecurity and healthy eating, the impacts of climate change, the importance of improving our biodiversity and enabling new skills and learning in environmental care and management. Through the WASH Project, Norton Hall Children and Family Centre’s intention is to support further growth of the ‘green jobs’ market for local people.

Sarah Robertshaw, WASH Project Manager, says, “The WASH Project provides a gateway opportunity for local people of all ages to explore their local green, and blue, space. Residents will be encouraged to take part in activities such as the community growing garden, conducting ecological studies around the park and lake and book on to new training courses. The WASH Project will play an important part in helping local families connect with nature, improve well-being, and create a better understanding of how we can all play a part in positive climate-change impacts.”

For more information please contact:
 
Suzanne Knipe (CEO, Norton Hall Children & Family Centre)
[email protected]  
Sarah Robertshaw (WASH Project Manager)
[email protected]  | https://nortonhall.org.uk/wash-project/