Call for young people to be ‘Fairer for Nature’

20 December 2019

Young people and adults from Buxton and Fairfield are being offered the opportunity to do something great for their community, the environment and themselves in a new gardening project.

The project called Fairer for Nature aims to get young people excited about wildlife by encouraging them to learn to love nature in their gardens as a first step towards appreciating the countryside; and to improve the lives and natural spaces for the residents (human and wildlife) of Fairfield, in Buxton.

Jackie Wragg, South West Peak youth engagement officer, said: “Loss of wildlife nationally means that urban habitats, particularly gardens, are increasingly important. Getting young people involved with improving gardens helps forge a connection to nature and the community of Fairfield will have a better range of habitats to support native wildlife.

“We are looking for volunteers over the age of 18, from the local area, to get involved with the activities and help make the project a great success. People can offer a few days across the year or give more time.

“In return, we will have free training available to our volunteers including First Aid training and the chance to develop skills in leading groups.
“This is also a great opportunity for people who already have ‘green fingers’ and want to pass their knowledge on to younger generations. In particular we are looking for pairs of volunteers to lead small groups of four or five young people to work on one local garden in Fairfield.”

To volunteer, you can call Jackie on 07585 903 679, or email her at Jackie.Wragg@peakdistrict.gov.uk.

Lia Roos, from the Residents of Fairfield Association, said: “Many elderly people are no longer able to look after or access their own gardens, introducing young people to help with gardening for wildlife will benefit everyone – enriching lives, beating loneliness and building a sense of community, and it will give nature a boost in our area.”

Fairer for Nature has been funded by Derbyshire County Council’s Action Grants Fund. It is a partnership between the Peak District National Park Foundation,  the South West Peak Landscape Partnership, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the Residents of Fairfield Association at Buxton.