Meithrin Natur - truly life-changing access to natural environment
Early access to nature is truly life-changing. That’s why The National Lottery Community Fund has launched Meithrin Natur - a new £10 million programme to support the health and wellbeing of babies and young children in Wales through meaningful connections with the natural environment. In this blog, Dr Simone Lowthe Thomas, Chair of our Wales Committee, shares why this funding matters and how it aims to create lasting impact.
Meithrin Natur, which translates as Nurturing Nature, seeks to introduce therapeutic and transformative effects of the natural environment at the earliest stage of a child’s development. Research shows that time spent in nature boosts children’s wellbeing, health, and happiness. Yet, barriers like poverty, location, and discrimination often limit access - especially for those most in need.
The funding programme aims to fund partnership projects that bring early years activities into green spaces—parks, wetlands, gardens, playgrounds, and more. These partnerships can help unite early years organisations with environmental experts, and crucially, involve children and families in shaping the projects to reflect local needs.
Kids need nature. Natur i bob plentyn. At The National Lottery Community Fund, we believe that helping children build a strong connection with their natural environment, at the earliest stages of their lives, is vital to allowing them to reach their full potential.
Funding approach
The funding programme is open to a wide range of partnership projects, including those that provide early years activities within parks, wetlands, rivers, public gardens, playgrounds, allotments, and nature reserves, as well as those that serve communities in areas of particular deprivation.
As part of the programme, partnership projects are defined as those that combine early years organisations with those that have experience and knowledge of the environment, with the input of local children and their families also welcomed to ensure inclusivity and that the needs of the local community are met.
The funding is in response to a growing body of evidence that shows that spending time in natural environments increases children’s personal wellbeing and health over time.
A report by The Wildlife Trusts shows that spending time in natural environments increases children’s personal wellbeing and health over time, as well as showing an increase in nature connection and reporting high enjoyment levels.
However, barriers such as accessibility and location can make it difficult for young children, and their parents, to access natural spaces. In particular, we know that a child’s start in life can affect their access to nature greatly, with those experiencing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination facing more complex and deep-rooted challenges than others.
A Strategic Commitment
Our strategy, It Starts with Community, focuses on supporting social connections and community-activity to build a flourishing society. The strategy contains four key funding missions, which include commitments to helping children and young people thrive, and to environmental sustainability, including equality of access to the natural environment and quality green spaces for all. Additionally, we are committed to supporting communities with the most need, those experiencing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination. Meithrin Natur brings these ideas together with the aim for young children across Wales to immerse themselves in nature, no matter their start in life.
In Wales, we have allocated £10 million in funding over 7 years as part of the programme, and are seeking partnership proposals from organisations and projects who could work together on community initiatives that opens up the outdoors for children. We want to fund innovative projects that will co-produce their alongside children and families every step of the way, leading to some truly life-changing initiatives.
The National Lottery Community Fund has supported a number of environmental projects in Wales over recent years through People and Places. A recent award was made to Eryri-Bywiol, which received over £300,000 for its Babi Actif project in North West Wales. The grant has enabled them to host activities that allow carers and babies to immerse themselves in the outdoors as a way of improving their physical and mental health. Activities include buggy fitness, baby forest play, outdoor movement, and sling and buggy walks. They provide fifteen activities a week across North West Wales throughout the year, giving an invaluable opportunity for families to access nature with their babies. Projects like these showcase the importance of giving young children access to their natural environment, work that we hope Meithrin Natur can build upon in an innovative way.
If you have an idea for a partnership project that brings together expertise in babies and young children with the benefits of spending more time in the outdoors, please visit https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/meithrin-natur to get in touch and apply for funding.