Green PLACE

The Green PLACE project, delivered together with lead partner Cumbria Development Education Centre (CDEC), and Playful Nature, focussed on connecting young people with nature by developing a deep connection to place, nature restoration, and nature-based solutions. The project empowered young people as agents of change within their communities – inspiring them to take action through nature-based community projects to enhance beauty, heritage, and engagement with the natural environment. This connection to place and heritage, and the range of skills built, addressed climate change, strengthened young people’s mental health and wellbeing, and secured the future of the heritage they have curated and enhanced.

The project stretched across Cumbria, within and outside of the Lake District National Park and North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), working with Playful Nature, Cumbria Action for Sustainability and the North Pennines AONB Partnership.

This project was funded by the Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its arm’s-length bodies. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency and Forestry Commission.

The Green PLACE Exhibition at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery showcases the achievements of a range of young people who participated in the Green PLACE project since its launch in March 2022. Tullie House kindly exhibits artwork, photos and videos that highlight the locations around Cumbria where a youth-led exploration of the project themes – Green Spaces, Community and Heritage – took place. The exhibition is open from January until June 2023.

This insightful family-friendly exhibition looks at how an innovative community project inspired a whole network across Cumbria to connect with nature, engage with the environment, and improve their own wellbeing while doing so. Featuring a collection of photos, videos and artwork from artists and several community groups, it showcases the learnings gained from the various activities and workshops that helped participants build an understanding of their local environment, its heritage and the legacy they’d like to leave. The exhibition also shares how young people, working with project partners the North Pennines AONB Partnership and Playful Nature, were able to take action through nature-based activities, making connections between themselves, their local natural heritage and the communities to which they belong.