Dozens of sites put forward for greenspaces project
More than 60 sites in the Staffordshire Moorlands have been put forward by residents to feature in a project aimed at improving green spaces and monitoring habitat health.
Experts at Keele University are working with partners at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust on the Nature in Your Neighbourhood initiative, which is backed by a £752,415 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.
The five-year community led project, which began in 2024, is all about supporting communities in the Staffordshire Moorlands to improve and monitor the quality of their local greenspaces for the benefit of people, nature and climate.
The sites identified include a variety of grassland, wetland and woodland habitat and the project team is now busy working through the list to check their ownership and suitability.
As part of the next phase of the project, residents in the Moorlands are being encouraged to take part in a survey and share their thoughts, experiences and ideas about their local greenspaces. People who live outside the area but use the spaces are also invited to fill in the survey.
Alana Wheat, a Postgraduate Researcher at Keele University, said: "This part of the project aims to understand public perceptions and uses of greenspaces in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Local residents' insights are invaluable to us as we explore how the community interacts with and values local greenspaces.
"By participating in the survey, you will help us gather crucial data on the importance of these areas, how they are used, and what motivates people to visit them. This information will be instrumental in guiding current and future greenspace recovery efforts."
Researchers and students at Keele are directly involved in the project, carrying out surveys, running workshops, analysing data, and producing a final report on the scheme's success among other activities.
They will be working alongside teams from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Moorlands Climate Action, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, OUTSIDE, and Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services on the project.
To fill in the survey, visit: https://forms.office.com/e/ACL8XhHALi
For more information on the project, visit: https://www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/wilder-communities/nature-your-neighbourhood
Experts at Keele University are working with partners at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust on the Nature in Your Neighbourhood initiative, which is backed by a £752,415 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.
The five-year community led project, which began in 2024, is all about supporting communities in the Staffordshire Moorlands to improve and monitor the quality of their local greenspaces for the benefit of people, nature and climate.
The sites identified include a variety of grassland, wetland and woodland habitat and the project team is now busy working through the list to check their ownership and suitability.
As part of the next phase of the project, residents in the Moorlands are being encouraged to take part in a survey and share their thoughts, experiences and ideas about their local greenspaces. People who live outside the area but use the spaces are also invited to fill in the survey.
Alana Wheat, a Postgraduate Researcher at Keele University, said: "This part of the project aims to understand public perceptions and uses of greenspaces in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Local residents' insights are invaluable to us as we explore how the community interacts with and values local greenspaces.
"By participating in the survey, you will help us gather crucial data on the importance of these areas, how they are used, and what motivates people to visit them. This information will be instrumental in guiding current and future greenspace recovery efforts."
Researchers and students at Keele are directly involved in the project, carrying out surveys, running workshops, analysing data, and producing a final report on the scheme's success among other activities.
They will be working alongside teams from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Moorlands Climate Action, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, OUTSIDE, and Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services on the project.
To fill in the survey, visit: https://forms.office.com/e/ACL8XhHALi
For more information on the project, visit: https://www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/wilder-communities/nature-your-neighbourhood
