Green PLACE

The Green PLACE project, delivered together with lead partner Cumbria Development Education Centre (CDEC), xthe North Pennines National Landscape team 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 stretched across Cumbria, within and outside of the Lake District National Park and North Pennines National Landscape.

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.

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 in 2022-23 showcased the achievements of a range of young people who participated in the Green PLACE project since its launch in March 2022, exploring the project themes – Green Spaces, Community and Heritage.

The exhibition featured photos, videos and artwork from artists and community groups which showcased 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 shared how young people, working with project partners Playful Nature and the North Pennines National Landscape team, were able to take action through nature-based activities, make connections between themselves, their local natural heritage and the communities to which they belong, and improve their own wellbeing while doing so.