West Midlands National Park

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/england-national-park-west-midlands/?ICID=continue_without_subscribing_reg_first

The underrated region hoping to become England’s next national park There’s no need to rewild farmland or spend billions on a grand project – we just have to reimagine our local areas

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/28/west-midlands-national-park-project-landscapes-birmingham-city-university

‘When I show people this, they think it’s Mordor’: the landscape architect viewing the West Midlands as a national park Birmingham City University thinktank imagines new approach to urban areas and land use across the region

We are profiling each of the finalists selected to be judged for a West Midlands National Park Award. The awards recognise and celebrate projects that align with the WMNP ethos.

Solihull MBC, the Royal British Legion and the local community have developed a ‘healing’ garden in Hillfield Park to benefit armed forces veterans and their family members, local schools and other members of the community. The garden is a peaceful sanctuary for remembrance and reflection, specially designed to engage veterans who wanted a place to meet outdoors, in nature and following the Royal British Legion’s ‘Battleback’ principles to create opportunities for active recovery.

Elaine Butler, President of Warwickshire and Birmingham County Royal British Legion, said: “At this time of year we remember the debt of gratitude to the fallen, but this Garden is not just for November 11th, it will be place of reflection, comfort and peace, a healing habitat to be enjoyed by people of all ages throughout the year.”

We are profiling each of the finalists selected to be judged for a West Midlands National Park Award. The awards recognise and celebrate projects that align with the WMNP ethos.

Purple Horizons Nature Recovery Project was launched in May this year by Natural Englandnd as one of the 5 Nature Recovery pilot projects. It is a 25 year masterplan for Nature Recovery of important lowland Heathland in the north east of the West Midlands conurbation and extending into Lichfield. A partnership between Walsall Council, Lichfield District Council, The Wildlife Trusts, Environment Agency, Forestry England and others has produced a shared vision to "create a thriving nature recovery network that is resilient to climate change. We want to see improved biodiversity, geodiversity and landscape value, enjoyed by people in a sustainable way. We will use a holistic, inclusive partnership approach to deliver change. We want to better manage, protect, expand and enhance lowland heathland and associated complementary habitats."

Find out more: https://youtu.be/He1QuBBX30I

We are profiling each of the finalists selected to be judged for a West Midlands National Park Award. The awards recognise and celebrate projects that align with the WMNP ethos.

Birmingham City Council's 'City of Nature Plan' is nationally unique in introducing systems change model which puts nature at the heart of governance and decision making. The Plan introduces a measurement of 'environmental justice', which embeds action to address the inequalities in quality of life and quality of environment in the City.

The Plan introduces is supported by a newly formed City of Nature Community Alliance, a collaboration of all third sector organizations, who have agreed for the first time, to work strategically, with the city to collectively deliver the Plan’s outcomes.

We are profiling each of the finalists selected to be judged for a West Midlands National Park Award. The awards recognise and celebrate projects that align with the WMNP ethos.

'Blossom Together in Birmingham' re-introduces trees common in the city centre in the 18/19th century to connect people with its history and create opportunities to experience nature in very busy urban areas. During spring 2022 the National Trust created two beautiful and unexpected pop-up blossom gardens in the heart of the city centre; in Pigeon Park by Birmingham Cathedral and at Edgbaston Street, located by the rag markets. Both sites linked to historic orchards and were chosen due to the high volume of commuters/visitors and lack of green space in the surrounding areas. Over the winter of 2022, more than 500 trees will be distributed and planted around the communities served by Birmingham’s famous Number 11 circular bus route to create a ring of blossom circling the city.

Find out more: https://youtu.be/tXVCmjL5XfQ

National Trust Birmingham City Council

We are profiling each of the finalists selected to be judged for a West Midlands National Park Award. The awards recognise and celebrate projects that align with the WMNP ethos.

'Solihull: Making Space for Nature' is an integrated suite of projects to protect, preserve and enhance the natural environment. Together, they contribute to the Council's ambitious net-zero, sustainability and wellbeing ambitions.

Find out more here: https://socialsolihull.org.uk/peopleplacenature/

Love Solihull
Solihull Council

We are profiling each of the finalists selected to be judged for a West Midlands National Park Award. The awards recognise and celebrate projects that align with the WMNP ethos.

The Canal and River Trust's 'Waterways for All' project has transformed a stretch of canal at Revolution Walk into an environmentally thriving and accessible route for people and wildlife; engaging with communities who have not previously used the canal network on their doorstep. The project has already achieved a Green Flag Award.

Find out more here: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/places-to-visit/the-revolution-walk

Canal & River Trust

We are profiling each of the finalists selected to be judged for a West Midlands National Park Award. The awards recognise and celebrate projects that align with the WMNP ethos.

The Linear Park in Coventry, by COMPLEX DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS LTD. is an innovative new green space in Coventry city centre. Linking with an existing park and restoring the culverted Radford Brook, the projects creates a continuous 1km long green link from Belgrade Square in the city centre, under the ring road, connecting communities in the north of the city.

Find out more here: https://complexdevelopmentprojects.co.uk/

Complex Development Projects

We are profiling each of the finalists selected to be judged for a West Midlands National Park Award. The awards recognise and celebrate projects that align with the WMNP ethos.

Students from Birmingham City University (UK) & Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Bangladesh) are working together to tackle social & environmental pressures in Kazigaon, using the The Prince's Foundation’s Rapid Planning Toolkit. This international collaborative pilot project addresses the issues of the local community to develop a sustainable masterplan of the village.

Find out more here: https://issuu.com/landscape-institute/docs/li_journal_4_cop_edition/22

We are profiling each of the finalists selected to be judged for a West Midlands National Park Award. The awards recognise and celebrate projects that align with the WMNP ethos.

The RSPB's Naturally Connected Communities Birmingham project works with stablished local partners, the Princes’s Trust, Birmingham Open Spaces Forum (BOSF), community groups and teachers to connect young families, primary-age children, and NEET young people with local natural heritage.

Find out more here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering-fundraising/grant-funding/green-recovery-challenge-fund/