Eco friendly outdoor classroom at Greenwich Ecology Park one step closer after £50k boost

We are delighted to announce that Greenwich Ecology Park we has been awarded a grant for £50,000 from The Veolia Environmental Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund.

The Land Trust is fundraising for a fabulous new outdoor classroom at Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park to inspire children and adults about wildlife, conservation and the environment and connect them with nature and the outdoors in London.  The park already provides educational opportunities for more than 1,000 people each year and the grant, which is the maximum amount that can be awarded through this scheme, brings us another step closer to realising our goal, opening the park up to more people and providing further opportunities to learn about and connect with nature in London.

Situated in the heart of Greenwich Millennium Village alongside the River Thames, Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park is a beautiful urban oasis and green space which is home to a fascinating variety of wildlife.  The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) manages the site on a day to day basis through two full time rangers, 2 Volunteer Officers and weekend volunteer Urban Rangers.  Activities already taking place at the Park include pond dipping, moth trapping, wildlife walks and urban park ranger volunteer training but as a popular environmental education site, it is operating at full capacity.

The new outdoor classroom will be accessible for all, and will be designed to be as self-sufficient and carbon neutral as possible, providing its own electricity through renewable and low energy technologies.  It will have the capacity to accommodate up to 30 people and will be used by visiting schools from across London, allowing children to explore the wildlife and get close to nature.  It will also be used year round for community events, volunteer training and other activities.  The new facility will play a vital part in providing education about wildlife and the importance of urban wildlife centres and will be a great example of real sustainability in cities, showing what can be done to improve urban life, for people and wildlife.

Helen Kramer, Fundraising Manager at the Land Trust says, “The Ecology Park is a green oasis  offering fantastic opportunities to get close to wildlife. This classroom will open the park up to everyone, providing a space where people of all ages can learn about and enjoy nature in the heart of their city.’’

The Executive Director of The Veolia Environmental Trust, Paul Taylor, adds, “The Land Trust must be congratulated on securing their grant. We considered a record number of compliant applications during our latest round, so this project managed to succeed in a very competitive environment. We look forward to seeing the start of work on the new outdoor classroom.”

The grant from The Veolia Environmental Trust will allow us to move forward with this project but our fundraising campaign continues to allow us to carry out improvements at the park and provide even better opportunities for the local community and visitors from across London.  Anyone wishing to donate to this project can do so through https://www.justgiving.com/thelandtrust.