What
We’re thrilled to announce that Natural Neighbours has been awarded £80,500 from the Mayor of London’s Green Roots Fund. This funding will help us move towards our goal of creating a nature corridor through South Hackney by transforming two sites – Priory Court and Homerton Grove Adventure Playground – into more diverse, habitat-rich spaces that bring joy to local communities.
The Green Roots Fund aims to enhance London’s blue and green spaces to address the capital’s environmental and social justice challenges. Black, Asian and ethnic minorities are more than twice as likely to live in an area deprived of green space, while more than one in five households in London have no access to a garden. Our work at Natural Neighbours reflects this same ethos: our nature-led projects aim to nurture both wildlife and communities.
Priory Court and Homerton Grove Adventure Playground are important open spaces where local people can play, connect and spend time together. At Priory Court, the communal open spaces will be co-created with the people who live there, working closely with residents, estate representatives and the London Borough of Hackney. The process will start with a baseline survey and listening sessions to understand how residents use the space, what they value and what they’d like to change. No final design will go ahead without residents’ sign-off.
We plan to start with quick, low-risk interventions that will deliver improvements from the outset, such as bulb and pollinator friendly planting, bird boxes, log piles, mini ponds and water butts. Once the design has been agreed, more comprehensive changes will follow, which could include wildlife ponds, meadows, hedgerows, community growing areas, natural play and new seating. The aim is to leave residents with a green space they helped shape and can continue to look after for years to come.
At Homerton Grove Adventure Playground, we will work with the team and visiting families to create a shared vision for the space, with interventions delivered across a series of event days where children of all ages can take part. Early, small-scale projects will give a flavour of bigger things to come over the two-year project period, sparking excitement about habitats and wildlife in urban spaces.
A huge thank you to the Mayor of London and the Green Roots Fund for backing these projects, this funding is truly transformative. We’re also grateful to the residents of Priory Court and the team at Homerton Grove Adventure Playground for their partnership! We look forward to getting started.
Where
Priory Court and Homerton Grove Adventure Playground in Homerton
Why
To create more nature-rich, welcoming spaces for local communities, while strengthening habitats and improving connections for wildlife across South Hackney.
What Achieved
Natural Neighbours has secured £80,500 from the Mayor of London’s Green Roots Fund to transform two important community spaces over the next two years, working with residents, families and local partners to shape and deliver the improvements.
