New National Lottery programme launched to give babies and early years children best start in life through connection to nature

Babies, children, and their families across Wales are set to get closer to nature thanks to a National Lottery programme that aims to improve early years health and wellbeing through a greater connection with the outdoors.

The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK, has launched Meithrin Natur, a new £10 million programme that seeks to introduce the therapeutic and transformative effects of the natural environment at the earliest stage of a child’s development.

Families and carers of babies and children aged under five will be included in the funded projects, as will mothers and fathers to be, who will also benefit from the calming effects of nature as part of their pre-natal preparations.

The funding programme, which translates as Nurturing Nature, 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 people with nature on their doorstep are more active, mentally resilient and have better all-round health. However, just 35% of households with annual incomes below £10,000 are within a 10-minute walk of a publicly accessible natural green space.*

Recent research conducted on behalf of The National Lottery Community Fund found that 43% of parents said that spending more time in nature would help their child’s mental health, and over a quarter (28%) felt being able to access green spaces, such as parks, would also help.

The National Lottery Community Fund has supported a number of early years environmental projects in Wales over recent years. These include North West Wales based Eryri-Bywiol, which received over £300,000 for its Babi Actif project, which hosts 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.

Dr Simone Lowthe-Thomas, Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund's Wales Committee, said: “Early access to nature is truly life-changing. At The National Lottery Community Fund, we believe that helping children build a strong connection with the natural environment from the earliest stages of life is vital to helping them reach their full potential.

“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. 

“Our seven-year strategy, It starts with community, contains four key funding missions, which include commitments to helping children and young people thrive, and environmental sustainability. Meithrin Natur brings these ideas together with the aim of allowing babies and young children across Wales to immerse themselves in nature, no matter their start in life.” 

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.

Date published: 27 August, 2025
Region: Wales

Notes to Editors

* https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/about-us/what-we-do/helping-everyone-take-action-nature/nature-for-wellbeing

About The National Lottery Community Fund

We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name.

We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable, and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.

We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with government to distribute vital grants and funding from key government programmes and initiatives.

As well as responding to what communities tell us is important to them, our funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:

1. Come together

2. Be environmentally sustainable

3. Help children and young people thrive

4. Enable people to live healthier lives.

Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute over £600 million a year through 13,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4 billion of funding into communities by 2030. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £49 billion has been raised and more than 690,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.

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Meithrin Natur

This funding aims to improve children and their caregivers’ health and wellbeing in Wales.