National Lottery Grants for Heritage – £250,000 to £5million
A landmark London walking route since 1977, the Green Chain travels through Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Bromley, Southwark and to the cusp of Lambeth.
Spanning 52 miles, it links together diverse green spaces, from historic gardens, parks and cemeteries to allotments, woodlands and conservation sites.
The project aims to restore and create 100 freshwater ponds to support amphibians and reptiles to find shelter and migrate across the area. It will work with local communities, landowners, schools and colleges to create the ponds.
Participants will also plant wildflowers and build and install wildlife homes and hibernation chambers to support a range of other species including birds, small mammals, plants and invertebrates.
Celebrating connections with urban nature
The area covers six of the most ethnically diverse boroughs and areas that experience some of the highest levels of deprivation in England.
The London Blue Chain project will link these communities to their local natural heritage, providing opportunities to tell their stories of personal connections with nature in a series of podcasts.
It will recruit habitat guardians who will actively shape conservation activities and a public outreach programme. The guardians will receive skills and knowledge training to build their confidence in taking ownership and action of local green and blue spaces.
Harry Forshaw, Project Manager, said: “We believe that this project, in delivering a diverse range of activities for a diverse southeast London population, will engage and inspire people to get involved with the important and under threat natural heritage on their doorstep and in their garden.”
Keep up to date with the project as it progresses.
