Page 14 - The Land Trust Annual Review 2016-17

Economy

Along with employing local managing partners and WELL
suppliers, our sites add a value to local communities,
encouraging positive investment. We are committed MAINTAINED
to developing our understanding of the economic
and other benefits to households, business and GREEN SPACES
wider society of us holding and managing land for CONTRIBUTE
charitable purposes and the value that it creates.
SIGNIFICANTLY

TO MAINTAINING

Green Angels A RESILIENT

Following our success in previous years delivering environmental and ECONOMY,
horticulture training in Liverpool, we were keen to extend the opportunity to
other locations. We are working on a variety of funding applications to allow
us to deliver the scheme across the country, however, in the meantime we SOCIETY AND
identified an opportunity to deliver an eight-week scheme at the Countess of
Chester Country Park. Training started in September 2016 and eight people ENVIRONMENT
took part in an Environmental Education
course which included both classroom and
practical sessions on site, working with a
Forest School practitioner and also groups
of nursery and primary school pupils.
Our trainees gained valuable hands-on
experience, reporting increased confidence
and new skills for their CVs. Of those involved,
two already work with children and are
now using their increased environmental
knowledge to inform and develop their
lessons, one has become a regular volunteer
with TCV on educational activities at Countess
of Chester Country Park and four have
gone on to form a fully constituted “Friends
of CoCCP” group which is focusing on
environmental education. In 2017/18 we will
deliver a Green Angels scheme in Warrington
and South Yorkshire.
Improving land value and
building new communities

Many of our parks are former industrial sites
that have been transformed into attractive
open spaces. They have helped to enhance
the surrounding area, enabling development
and new communities to be created in places
that were formerly unattractive. The early
creation of a country park at sites such as
Fryston and Frickley in Yorkshire has attracted
developers Kier and Keepmoat to provide
vital housing and create new communities
celebrating the proximity of the neighbouring
green space. This is reflected across our
portfolio with existing and new housing
developments marketing their proximity to
Weetslade Country Park and Elba Park, in
the North East, Silverdale Country Park in
Staffordshire and Greenwich Peninsula Ecology
Park as benefits to prospective residents.

14 the Land Trust Annual Review 2016/17