Our Local Nature Grants 2025

It has been a buzzing year for Our Local Nature Grant projects! Seven brilliant youth-led projects have taken off and produced incredible results. From bees to botany, hedgehogs to bug hotels, this year’s grant recipients have gone above and beyond to make a real change in their local area. In 2024-2025 the Linnean Society was able to fund seven unique projects, led by and chosen by teams of passionate young people from all over the country.

This year’s projects were more compact, but with wide reaching benefits. Over 200 young people directly benefitted from their involvement in projects funded by Our Local Nature Grant, with over 70 directly involved in decision-making and making positive impacts in their communities. Across the seven projects, there were reports of improved mental well-being, better access to nature and an increased enthusiasm towards conservation in their local areas. Let’s take a look at what each project has achieved so far!

Action Community Enterprise received £525 to purchase three flat-packed bee hives. Students chose the site, cleared the area, helped to install fencing and of course built the bee hives together. After lots of teamwork and learning new construction skills, all that’s left is for the bees to arrive! September’s new cohort will have the opportunity to care for the bees, collect honey, continue rewilding the surrounding areas, and planting bee-friendly flowers around their own homes.

The group created a video to show their progress and the wonderful work they have achieved together. You can watch ACE's video by clicking here.

Aston Youth Club received £805 to make bird boxes, hedgehog hides, and insect hotels. The club came together to decide what would suit their local area best, used grant funding to get together the supplies, and made their local environment more welcoming to wildlife. Through this hands-on challenge, the young people learned more about nature, from insects to mammals, and formed stronger friendships as they engaged in team work to transform the ecosystem around them.

The Cheer Up Squad received £775 to launch their Growing Hope project, with which they provided plant-growing kits to 50 children aged 3-10 who had been discharged from hospital treatment. A team of young people assembled the kits, coordinated logistics and promoted sustainability by collecting recyclable items to serve as watering alternatives.

“Most of the children became very excited about seeing their plants emerge from the soil. The anticipation of sprouting seeds brought them joy and wonder, leading to genuine curiosity about the plant life cycle. They began asking questions, tracking growth, and even naming their plants. This gentle, hands-on exposure to nature sparked curiosity and provided them with a simple yet powerful sense of achievement. It was heartwarming to see smiles light up their faces as they proudly showed off their little pots of green.”

The volunteers gained a platform to build new skills, collaborate with others and gain further environmental awareness. The experience increased their confidence, provided leadership experience and deepened their emotional investment in the wellbeing of others.

Edinburgh old town received £991 for an interactive tour of the Botanic Gardens curated especially to their interests. The young people were able to learn specifically about nature photography, biodiversity and plant ecology, with a chance afterwards to purchase some herbs to continue to care for and watch grow over the coming months. The grant allowed Edinburgh Old Town to transform the outdoor space of the Crannie Community Hub into a functioning herb garden and seating area.

"It was a great day out, young people bonded and had a lot of fun together. We had a couple of people who have only recently joined groups, and one young person who'd taken a long break for college, and this was a great opportunity for them to (re)connect with their peers. Young people had a laugh, enjoyed the outdoors, and learnt so much from our wonderful guide. They are looking forward to visiting the community garden next month."

Friends with Diabetes UK used their £1000 to run six weeks of therapeutic gardening sessions for children and young people aged 5-18 living with diabetes in Hackney, Haringey, Barnet and Salford. They learned about the nutritional values of fresh produce and were able to try vegetables they had grown themselves, gaining practical gardening knowledge and sustainability skills. They engaged in physical activity through gardening tasks. There was a reduction in isolation and an increase in mental wellbeing as the garden became a safe and supportive space where young people could share experiences and form connections.

The garden is now a permanent community space maintained by volunteer families, ensuring it will last beyond the initial scope of this project. The families have formed ongoing peer support networks, and there are plans moving forward for seasonal community gardening sessions.

Sacriston Youth Project received £800 to research, develop and build their own allotment. The young people at Sacriston worked together, painting benches, installing woodchip, making bird boxes and planning fruit and veg plots, as well as pond plants. The grant money has allowed the students of sacristan to engage with wildlife and conservation activities like bird watching, insect IDing, planting wildflowers and working towards a John muir award. The young people have “a real buzz” for growing their own vegetables and many are trying new plant-based foods for the first time. Once their crops are ready to harvest, Sacriston will be running cooking sessions right there in their allotment, over a campfire.

The project is being maintained in order to last a long time, it is still in its early stages and is growing more every day, as is the confidence and passion of the young people working to make it come to life.

The Stanwick Lakes Junior Rangers used their £976 to become Mammal Champions! Using the woodland around them, this group of young people learned how to identify signs of mammals in sessions led by experts. The Junior Rangers learned how to identify the presence of mammals based on their footprints, their diets, and even their poo!

In addition, the grant funded a series of trail cameras to watch their woodland neighbours, and the chance to work with a designer. The Junior Rangers worked together to design a banner, and create and distribute leaflets to park visitors so that they could share what they learned with everyone. These funded sessions allowed the Junior Rangers to engage directly with the nature around them.

The Junior Rangers also got the chance to meet with the Mammal Society, who trained them in conducting ecological surveys using scientific methods. The Rangers gained new passion for the conservation of local wildlife and are eager to carry on learning.