The North Devon Coast AONB has received a grant of £248,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their exciting, three-year Finding Nature’s Footprints project. The project aims to learn more about the nature in our villages, gardens, fields and shores through surveys, monitoring and mapping of wildlife including plants, mammals, insects and birds. This information will be used to support action by communities, volunteers, landowners and local agencies to help wildlife thrive, connect and recover. The project will offer a wide range of training, new skills and citizen science activities for staff, students, volunteers, schools and communities.

Alongside the nature surveys and actions, the Project Partners will offer opportunities for new audiences to connect with nature and benefit from the nationally designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This will be through activities such as green prescribing, guided walks, school and college engagement, arts and nature activities. Partners include Northam Burrows Country Park, National Trust, Sunrise Diversity, North Devon Voluntary Service, Devon Biodiversity Records Centre and Red Herring Productions.

Jenny Carey-Wood, AONB Manager said “We’re delighted that we’ve received this support thanks to National Lottery players. The nature all around us whether commonplace or rare needs help from everyone. This project will work with communities on the ground to know more about what we’ve got, what needs to be done and give people the skills and knowledge to make changes to protect, increase and join up our spaces for wildlife. Local actions can build on and feed into the more strategic programmes being delivered for the ambitious Nature Recovery Plan for North Devon and Torridge.”

Stuart McLeod, Director England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “Through our conversations with National Lottery players, we know that nature is incredibly important to them. By funding projects such as this, it means that they can play their part in preserving the significant and varied wildlife that call this part of Devon home. At The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we’re incredibly proud to be playing a role in ensuring our natural heritage is safeguarded for generations to come, but also that the projects we fund give people the chance to connect with the nature and wildlife that is on their doorsteps.”