Increasing access to greenspaces in the North Chilterns

Representatives from different organisations – from the countryside, conservation, and public health sectors, local access forums and universities – came together to share learning and experiences, listen to presentations on a variety of themes, and inspire one another with examples of the fantastic work already taking place.

The workshop was also an opportunity to promote the 2025-26 Defra Access Funding, providing grants to help make greenspaces and the countryside more accessible for all.

The workshop was a chance to celebrate the exciting announcement that Luton Council has been successful with its three-year, £1 million Nature Towns and Cities bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project which will commence in January 2026, and we are delighted to be a strategic partner on the project.

Many of the organisations present at the workshop were involved with the bid and will work together to deliver a programme of community outreach, nature-based solutions, skills training, and volunteering opportunities across three green corridors, linking Luton and the wider Chilterns countryside.

The project will also fund a Collaborative Targeted Outreach Programme in Luton, recommended as a result of the groundbreaking Chalkscapes research – commissioned by the Chilterns National Landscape and published last year – which identified barriers to diverse communities accessing greenspaces and the countryside.