We are thrilled to announce the award of a grant totalling £248,811 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible by National Lottery players. This funding will support the creation of a network of Nature Buddies across Dorset coordinated by the Dorset National Landscape.

Nature Buddies are trained volunteers that provide one-to-one support that enable a person to enjoy nature by overcoming the barriers that stand in their way.

They are managed by organisations across Dorset that want to extend their volunteering roles to offer more nature focused engagement or want to support more people access their nature based activities. It will be the role of the Dorset National Landscape team to support those organisations to upskill existing, and recruit new, volunteers to offer Nature Buddies and make it an embedded service for people across Dorset to access.

The 22 month project started in September 2024 and will initially be focused on building a pool of skilled volunteers and organisations which can then begin supporting people to enjoy nature.

Anyone who is aged 18+ and currently faces barriers to accessing and enjoying nature for their wellbeing. They must be ready to take active steps to work towards reaching their nature-inspired goals which will include exploring ways to engage in nature that is meaningful to them, willing to try new things and be social with others.

Nature buddies can not provide physical mobility support. Some Nature Buddies may be able to provide transport, though this will be dependent on the volunteering policies of the organisations managing the Nature Buddies.

The main focus will be in Dorset Council area, though if their are organisations in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole that would be interested in taking part then we may be able to offer it wider.

Nature Buddies volunteers are currently being recruited and trained. We hope they will be available from Spring 2025, possibly earlier though this will depend on uptake.

Anyone can access the support of Nature Buddies provided they meet our referral criteria and guidelines. These will be made available when we are accepting referrals.

We are looking for organisations or community groups that want to host Nature Buddies volunteers.

We will work with you every step of the way and can support you with increasing capacity and skills in your team and volunteers. We will be bringing a network of organisations together and will help with recruitment, training and promotion.

Contact Jules if you are interested. Contact details at the bottom of this page.

Please send Jules an email explaining how you hope to support people and what you hope to get out of it. This only needs to be brief.

We will then get back to you to find out more and explain the next steps.

Contact Jules if you are interested. Contact details at the bottom of this page.

Take a seat (c) Julie East

Community Access Fund

As part of this project we have launched a Community Access Fund for community groups and organisations looking to make capital access improvements to make the landscape more inclusive for a wider range of people. Funds will need to be spent by end of March 2025.

Read more

“This grant will enable us to make a tangible difference, helping communities to help others to experience the joys of nature.”

- Phil Sterling, Dorset National Landscape Partnership Chair

Have a question?

Please email Julie Hammon on julie.hammon@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or call her on 01305 224785. Please note Julie is part time and may not get back to you immediately. Thank you for your patience.

Supporters

Looking for things to do?

Taking inspiration from our popular community events in Dorset called ‘Picnic in the Parks’, you can now explore lots of ideas and activities to enjoy our beautiful Dorset from home, or activities to inspire you to go out.

Explore the online park