Green Prints Report

8/4/2019 Green Prints Report

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/green-prints-report 1/28

Reporting the outcomes o an innovative

three-year unding programme to enable 16-25

year old volunteers to improve green spaces.

GreenPrints



Introduction 3

Programme overview 4

Funding partners – SITA Trust and v 6

Delivery partners – BTCV and The Wildlife Trusts 8

Media partner – BBC 9

The mentoring approach 10

The application process 12

Youth assessment panel 14

Colin’s story 14

Geographical reach of the programme 15

Flagship project case study – West Bowling Youth Initiative 16

Practical improvements 18

Tom’s story 19

Case study – Brook Youth Centre 20

Case study – Echoes of Blackburn Meadows 22

Volunteer progression 23Case study – Lavender Pond 24

Volunteer feedback 25

Funded projects – Flagships 26

What our mentors’ said 27

2 GreenPrints

Contents



IntroductionThe partnership organisations, using their

diering expertise, oered a new and

dierent approach to providing unded

youth volunteering opportunities. Young

people were saying that the environment

was one o the top ve issues that

concerned them, both at a local and

global level (1). However research by the

Russell Commission ound that traditional

volunteering had a poor image amongst

young people, with attempts to make it

seem “cool” being counter-productive. The

Commission identied a clear need or

programmes in which young people were

allowed to take the lead and reach out to

their peers (2). GreenPrints was designed

so that youth ownership o overall project

planning and delivery was paramount.

Mentors were identied and provided

to oer support to young people in

creating their own programme o works

and to oer skills training. Furthermore a

panel o young people with volunteering

experience was invited to help assess

applications or unding beore they were

submitted to the SITA Trust Board or

review and potential approval.

In this way GreenPrints used the expertise

o ve leading national organisations to

encourage 16 to 25 year olds to volunteer

their time and energy to improving green

spaces in their local communities.

GreenPrints 3

The GreenPrints youth volunteering

programme emerged rom a series o

overlapping opportunities:

In March 2005, ‘A national ramework

or youth action and engagement’ was

published by the Russell Commission and

with this, government policy was created

to address the need or the provision o

meaningul volunteering experiences or

young people. Nearly a decade ater the

creation o the Landll Communities Fund,

distributive environmental bodies such as

SITA Trust were, or the rst time, permitted

to provide unding support or projects that

encompassed youth volunteering.

SITA Trust began exploring ways to create

a unding programme to meet this new

opportunity. With a ocus on community

green space creation and improvement,

SITA Trust identied BTCV and The Wildlie

Trusts as delivery partners to provide the

necessary expertise and inrastructurerequired to ensure quality environmental

volunteering experiences or young people.

Around the same time v was ormed as

an independent youth volunteering charity

using an innovative new model which

allowed unds raised rom the private

sector to be matched by the Government.

It seemed a mutually logical step or v to

become a unding partner with SITA Trust.

With unding and delivery mechanisms

in place the GreenPrints partnership and

programme were created. In order to

give the programme the widest possible

reach to young people the BBC joined the

partnership as media partner, giving the

programme and its applicants invaluable

exposure through its Breathing Places

campaign.

(1) Young People’s Passions – survey of 16-25 year olds, v, June 2007

(2) A National Framework for Youth Action and Engagement, The Russell Commission, March 2005



4 GreenPrints

There were two types o project in the GreenPrints

programme; Events and Flagships.

Programme overview

Events were one or two day conservationprojects that enabled young people to

simply sign up, turn up and take part in

interesting and meaningul environmental

volunteering. These events were created

and run by experienced providers and

were aimed at giving young people

a favour o what it is like to be a

GreenPrints volunteer. A typical cost o

an event was in the order o £500 per

day. As a result o attending these events

many young people went on to develop

longer fagship projects.

P H O T O : J e n i N o t t

GreenPrints Programme

manager Pete (right) with

two youth volunteers

EventsOver the course o the three-year

programme SITA Trust received 790 Event

project applications. 736 applications

(93%) were ound to be compliant and

were subsequently supported.

The main reasons or rejection o Event

applications were:

•Projects created general volunteeringopportunities rather than those that

ocused on engaging young people

aged 16-25

• Project sites did not meet the LandllCommunities Fund (LCF) requirement

or unrestricted public access

• Projects involved volunteering that did

not result in bringing about practical

improvements to a public green space

i.e. awareness raising or educational

activities

• Projects planned to involve an

insucient number o young volunteers

to be considered good value or money.

O the 736 Event projects that were

approved 679 (92%) went on to be

delivered. The remaining 57 projects were

cancelled or reasons which included

severe weather, withdrawal/cancellation by

a youth group and illness o delivery sta.

E v ent sP r o j ect s f unded679T ot al f unded

£517,0 25.32



Flagships

Flagships were longer term projects

led by young people with support rom

GreenPrints in the orm o mentors and upto £10,000 in unding.

The Flagships scheme challenged young

people to spend up to twelve months

working on projects that would have

signicant environmental benet.

Whilst the GreenPrints und was

accessible to all young people aged

16-25 we were keen to involve those that

were under-represented in environmental

volunteering. We were aware that these

young people, by denition, would not

readily respond to a standard ‘open’

unding opportunity, so mentors worked

through local youth networks to identiy

and bring together groups who were

willing and able to respond to the

Flagship challenge.

Over the course o the three-year

programme 191 stage one Flagship

application orms were received (see

page 13 or explanation o stages). O

the stage one applications received,

142 (74%) were considered eligible.

Groups were subsequently assigned a

mentor and invited to submit a stage two

application. 122 stage two applicationswere received by SITA Trust.

103 o those applications were awarded

GreenPrints Flagship unding representing

an 84% success rate. The high success

rate or applications moving to stage

two demonstrates the value o providing

applicants with mentor support at this

early stage. Projects which were ound

to be unsuitable or GreenPrints unding

were spared having to complete a ull

application orm. Conversely, projects

which were deemed suitable at stage one

stood a good chance o securing unding.

O the 103 Flagship projects that were

supported 89 went on to be delivered.

The remaining 14 were cancelled or

various reasons including:

• Change in land ownership or land

security resulted in accessibility being

too restricted to be LCF compliant

• Applicant organisations closed down or

changed strategy

• Unable to stimulate sucient interest

rom young people

• Failure to secure required permissions

to carry out the project.

GreenPrints 5

Young volunteers take

a break from their

GreenPrints project to

create a green space.

F lag s h ip s

Pro jec ts funded

8 9 To ta l funde

d

£ 715,1 3 3.41

Pete Sessions GreenPrints Programme Manager

at SITA Trust said:

Flagship projects had to deliver improvements to a

green space that were benefcial and accessible

to the community as a whole. The variety o unded

projects was extensive and ranged rom specialisedhabitat improvement or wildlie to clearing and

planting up derelict spaces in some o England’s

most populated urban areas.



Funding partnersSITA Trust and v each committed £1 million

to the GreenPrints programme. In

addition SITA Trust used its grant giving

experience to oversee the

assessment and

decision-making process,

grant management and

overall programme

co-ordination.

6 GreenPrints



“v, The National Young Volunteers

Service, aims to revolutionise volunteering

and social action amongst 16-25 year

olds.

v was launched in May 2006 and isalready changing the landscape –

inspiring young people who have never

volunteered beore, and supporting

the creation o 100,000s o exciting

volunteering opportunities across

England.

v works with over 500 voluntary and

community organisations throughout the

country, providing unding and support

to harness the incredible talents and

energy o young people. We believe

in showcasing the best o the nation’s

youth and challenging the oten negative

portrayal o young people.

SITA Trust is an ethical unding

organisation dedicated to making lasting

improvements to the natural environment

and community lie. The Trust is a notor prot company, a registered and

accredited environmental body that

operates under the Landll Communities

Fund distributing unds donated by the

recycling and resource company SITA

UK. Since The Trust opened its unding

programmes in 1997 it has committed

in excess o £74 million to over 2000

projects.

“A challenge was set by Government

to use Landll Communities Funds or

the support o youth volunteering. SITA

Trust quickly rose to that challenge by

creating the GreenPrints programme

with new unding partner v and some

o the nation’s leading environmental

charities. This report documents the many

and varied projects that the programme

unded during the three years o its lie.

However, perhaps no report can ully

At v we encourage youth-led action and

believe that young people can change

things or the better. That’s why we have

a 20 strong youth advisory board called

v20 who are helping us to shape the

uture o volunteering.

We have a great recipe or success… a

team o enthusiastic and creative sta,

the brilliant v20 and eager and willingvolunteers. And antastic partners – like

SITA Trust!

By bringing volunteering directly to

young people and providing them with

opportunities that interest and excite

them, we’ve created over 960,000

new volunteering and social action

opportunities across England.

v is really delighted to have unded such

an exciting programme as GreenPrints.

From our research, we know the

environment is an issue young people

care passionately about. GreenPrints has

describe the emotion and energy involved

in the projects. Young people that have

been motivated to deliver projects o their

own design are a orce to be reckoned

with and we are immensely proud to have

been able to support them.

From SITA Trust’s background in providingunding or community improvement and

biodiversity conservation projects we

had much evidence that projects that

involve the community at the design

and implementation stages are ar

more likely to be sustained or the long

term. Feedback rom the many not-or-

prot organisations we have supported

convinced us that young people in the

16-25 year old age group were not only

willing to help but were keen and able

volunteers with much to oer their locale.

During the creation o our new young

people’s volunteering programme we

identied potential partners that not only

exemplied good practice in volunteering

within the environmental arena but also

were working to provide meaningul

opportunities with which young people

could engage. True to this description

enabled lots o young people to have

a leading role improving green spaces

in their communities. In turn, young

people have been able to demonstrate

their positive contribution to their local

community, challenging some o the

negative stereotypes that are so oten

used to represent them.

v has a long standing relationship withSITA Trust and the partnership has gone

rom strength to strength. We were

delighted to be a partner under with SITA

Trust in the GreenPrints programme”.

Terry Ryall, CEO, v

www.vinspired.com

our delivery partners, BTCV and the

Wildlie Trusts, ensured that the young

volunteers were eectively mentored

and that the projects were undertaken

saely. They deserve special recognition

or their contribution to the success o the

programme.

Our unding partner v brought the very

latest research on the needs o young

people to the table as well as doubling

the size o the und. We also owe thanks

to our donor, SITA UK, whose support

and nancial commitment made the

programme possible.

Most o all, we express our admiration

or the designers and deliverers o the

projects – the young volunteers.”

Marek Gordon, Chairman,

SITA Trust

www.sitatrust.org.uk

GreenPrints 7



start, we were delighted to commit to this

venture wholeheartedly. We did this in

several ways: through our experienced

project delivery sta on the ground,

through dedicated mentors to give theirexpertise and support to the Flagship

projects and through the National

Programme Management team who

made it all come together. And how right

we were to do it. The outcomes have

been incredible: thousands o young

people taking action to protect their local

environment – many or the rst ever

time. Progression into work, training and

education, countless spaces improved

and preserved or uture generations to

enjoy. The list goes on.

I am immensely proud o BTCV’s

contribution to making GreenPrints the

success it has been. We rose to the

challenge o meeting the ambitious

targets and went way beyond the goals

we set ourselves spectacularly! I would

like to take this opportunity to thank

my sta, who worked together with the

young participants to create so many

challenging and enjoyable activities. I alsowould like to pay tribute to v and SITA

Trust, whose vision and unding meant

Inspiring People,

Improving Places.

BTCV is the UK’s

leading practical

conservation charity.BTCV connects

people with place, builds healthy,

sustainable communities, and increases

people’s lie skills. It aims to create a

better environment where people rom all

cultures eel valued, included and involved.

BTCV works with 140,000 volunteers,

supporting them to take hands-on

action to improve their urban and

rural environments. We oer regular

conservation tasks, UK and International

conservation holidays, the BTCV Green

Gym®, training opportunities and an on-

line shop making products and services

accessible to all.

“Three years ago, BTCV set out on an

exciting partnership with SITA Trust.

GreenPrints was a antastic concept:

an oer o environmental taster Events,

ollowed by an opportunity or young

people to lead on the design and deliveryo year-long Flagship projects, with a

grant o up to £10,000. From the very

that we could ully commit our time and

resources to GreenPrints.

While we measure the community,

environmental and personal impacts oGreenPrints, we must also remember

to celebrate them. It is oten too easy

to orget to stop and refect on our own

achievements. So, congratulations and

thank you to all the young volunteers that

participated – you have made a huge

dierence to the environment, the people

who enjoy it and yourselves. BTCV exists

to create a more sustainable uture by

inspiring people and improving places.

You have done this and so much more –

we are proud to be associated with you

and GreenPrints.”

Tom Flood, CEO, BTCV

www.btcv.org

8 GreenPrints



“The Wildlie Trusts were delighted to work

in partnership with SITA Trust and v to

take an active role within the GreenPrints

unding programme, by oering support

and practical expertise to the 16-25 year

olds involved.

This innovative scheme encouraged

many more young people to get involved

with volunteering. It has contributed to

their personal development and, with the

help o the unds provided, encouraged

communities across England to take

ownership o their local green spaces

and make a great dierence by delivering

real environmental benets. This kind o

community involvement is a key elementin achieving The Wildlie Trusts’ vision

There are 47 Wildlie

Trusts across the

whole o the UK,

the Isle o Man

and Alderney. We

are working or an

environment rich in wildlie or everyone.

With more than 800,000 members, we

are the largest UK voluntary organisation

dedicated to conserving the ull range o

the UK’s habitats and species, whether in

the country, in cities or at sea. 50,000 o

our members belong to our junior branch,

Wildlie Watch. We manage 2,300 nature

reserves covering more than 90,000

hectares; we stand up or wildlie; we

inspire people about the natural worldand we oster sustainable living.

o a Living Landscape, where our whole

landscape is restored or the benet o

wildlie and people.

Stephanie Hilborne OBE,

CEO, The Wildlie Trusts

www.wildlifetrusts.org

Media partner

Launched in 2005 the BBC Breathing

Places campaign brings together

inspirational broadcasting, mass

audiences and partner events and

activities to make a dierence or British

Wildlie. The BBC Breathing Places

campaign was a media partner in the

programme and committed to eature

GreenPrints in local radio and TV

programming. This coverage ocused on

case studies o inspirational, youth led

projects which GreenPrints has unded

and nurtured.

www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces

GreenPrints 9



The mentoringapproachAlongside assisting groups who had entered

the GreenPrints application process through

the ‘open’ application route, mentors were also

expected to identiy groups o young people

and support them over a period o up to twelve

months to achieve the aims o the Flagships

scheme o the GreenPrints programme.

10 GreenPrints



The term “mentor” means dierent things

to dierent people, and oten reers to

people acting as a counsellor or adviser.

For GreenPrints, as well as counselling

and advising, the role encompassed a

range o tasks and skills, including

• Outreach

• Project Planning

• Applying or unding

• Project management

• Group and Volunteer management

• Progression

Underpinning all o this was a requirement

to actively involve young volunteers in allo the above, and to support them through

what was likely to be a challenging

experience or many o them. It is or this

reason that GreenPrints chose to use the

term “mentor” to describe the role.

Two mentors per English region were

selected to create a “mentor pool” o

eighteen people. Mentors were drawn

rom both BTCV and the Wildlie Trusts,

and developed as a team, training

together, networking to share good

practice, and sharing the workload within

each region.

When they were not working with

GreenPrints fagships, mentors continued to

work on other tasks and projects with their

local BTCV and Wildlie Trusts colleagues.

They were employed and managed locally

– but were accountable or their mentoring

perormance to the GreenPrints ProgrammeManagement Group.

Mentors were able to provide up to

ve days support or young people

undertaking a Flagship project. This

started with advice on completing the

application process and continued

through the delivery phase, right up until

nal reporting was completed. Although

ve days was the guide, the mentors

were able to tailor their support so that

those that needed more, were given it. In

the end, the majority o Flagship projects

needed around three days.

Finally, with sustainability being at the

heart o the programme, they were able

to direct applicants to new sources o

unding and ensure that the work on site

was o the highest quality. Mentors not

only supported the projects to conclusion,but also ensured that the space would be

o benet to the local communities, wildlie

and natural habitat or years to come.

unsa tis fac tor y

7 %sa tis fac tor y

24 %

good

20 %

ver y

sa tis fac tor y

49 %

GreenPrints 11



unsatisf actor y 3%

satisf actor y

7%

good 27%

v er y satisf actor y

63%

12 GreenPrints



GreenPrints Flagship

Application Process

Unsuccessful

Successful

Stage one

Stage two

Applicant contacts SITA

Trust about a potential

project (stage one)

I the project idea is potentially

eligible or unding a ully brieed

mentor is assigned to help the

applicant work up a ull application to

the GreenPrints und (stage two)

The application is

assessed by Youth Project

Assessment Panel

The application isassessed by SITA

Trust

Mentor works with

applicant to complete

necessary legal paperwork

and delivery plan

Mentor supports

applicant in delivering

the project as required

Mentor carries out a

signposting exercise with

the applicant group to

help them fnd support

elsewhere

GreenPrints 13



Applications were scored against a key

set o criteria, including youth involvement/

leadership, benet to people, benet to

wildlie, celebration, personal development

opportunities and diversity.

In short, the young members o the

assessment panels made critical

recommendation decisions. It did not take

long or them to grasp the importance

o their role, oten debating the merits or

otherwise o applications long ater the

time-limit was up! Their dedication to

making the right decision and ensuring

that the Flagship und was used to best

eect, was, in itsel, inspirational. The panel

set the standard – it was then down tothe successul applicants, guided by the

mentors, to meet that standard.

The members o the panel were Lucy

Everett (pictured let with Colin), Cally

Harmer, Tom Wilson and Colin Green

(in both photos). Colin contributed over

the entire three year period, so it seems

entirely appropriate that he tells the story o

his involvement:

Colin’s Story:

Leaving university in 2006, I ound mysel

in a situation a great many graduates

will nd amiliar – being qualied but

inexperienced, and thereore in the eyes o

the majority o employers, unemployable.

My passion or the environment and desire

to make a dierence in this specic area

limited my options, which became urther

restricted by my lack o relevant working

experience, making getting that rst oot on

the employment ladder almost a ull-time

job in itsel! In act, over the ruitless weeks

o applications and knock-backs it became

obvious to me that the best way o getting

the experience to match my qualications

and passion would be simply that, to treat

the basic act o gaining experience as a

ull-time job, i.e. volunteering.

I started a six month ull-time volunteeringplacement with BTCV in 2007, during which

time I became involved in the GreenPrints

GreenPrints YouthAssessment PanelThe aim o the panel o young

people involved in the assessment

process was to help ensure that

applications in the GreenPrintsFlagship scheme were o sufcient

quality to be recommended to the

SITA Trust Board. As the projects were

to be inspired by the interests o

and led by 16-25 year olds, it made

sense to ensure this age group wasrepresented at every panel.

14 GreenPrints



Flagship

Events

programme. I was approached by a

member o the Youth Assessment Panel

working in the same oce as mysel and

oered the chance to sit on the panel as

a representative o the younger generation

targeted by the programme. From reading

the description o the programme and

the impact it was to have upon the youth

volunteering and conservation scene, I

knew this was a chance not to be missed

and jumped straight on board. One o

the major driving actors in this or me

was the act that I had mysel been in

the situation where I had the will to start

my career in the environment, but not

the way. I could see immediately how

important the opportunity – to be an

integral part o a conservation project

worth up to £10,000 – could be; and by

oering that ‘way’ and shaping the utures

o thousands o young people like mysel

who just needed an opportunity.

The ollowing two years o bi-monthly

meetings with the ‘Youth AssessmentPanel’ – which although proessionally

handled were always relaxed and

enjoyable – genial debate and earnest

interest in the projects set beore us

– were a privilege to be a part o and

gave me a real taste o the short-listing

process or unding applications. Each

decision we made we knew would have

a real world impact, and one thing I eel

all o us on the panel would agree with,

I will always remember the simple act o

being consulted with as genuine equals

by the environment sector proessionals

we sat with.

Two years later, at the end o the

GreenPrints programme, I am a 25 year

old (still considered ‘young’ – just!)

Community Environment Worker running

my own programme as part o a local

environmental conservation charity in

Bradord. The Habitat Heroes programme

is worth a total o around £200,000 but the

impact o the activities we carry out will

have an eect way beyond this nancialmeasure. I would not be in the situation I

am now i I had not had the opportunity to

develop my skills while volunteering and

I can only hope – and strongly believe –

that there are many other young people

out there who have been as lucky as me

thanks to the GreenPrints programme.

Geographical reach

GreenPrints projects could take place

anywhere within England and over

the course o the programme a good

geographical spread o activity was

achieved. A key strength o the programme

was the involvement o well established

delivery partners. BTCV and The Wildlie

Trusts have local oces across the

country and could mobilise sta to deliver

Event projects in areas that were under

represented in the programme.

GreenPrints 15



West BowlingYouth Initiative

Based at Bradord in West Yorkshire, West

Bowling Youth initiative (WBYi) is a ne

example o a dynamic community organisation.

WBYi’s core activity is street-based youth work,

but this only scratches the surace o what

they do. Through their involvement in sports,

cross cultural and environmental initiatives,

they achieve genuine and eective community

cohesion. The application rom WBYi to

the GreenPrints programme by their ever-

resourceul and enthusiastic centre manager,

Haqueq Siddique, outlined a project that would

ull a community need – access to the only

green space in a dense area o housing and a

genuinely neutral ground that would eel open

to people o all backgrounds.

Bowling Old Lane Cricket Club was ormed

in 1905 and became the ocal point o the

community, as well as a successul cricketingoutt. It is surrounded on all sides by housing,

and the club’s acilities are well-used by the

community.

Due to the lack o green spaces in the area

local youths would oten climb over the wall

to access the playing felds or a kick-about

or impromptu game o cricket. This was

clearly an unsae way o accessing the grass

and oten had a detrimental eect on the

wall, or the young trees that were knocked

in the climbing process. By recognising the

club’s role in providing much needed green

space, WBYi set about creating access –

and expanding the dierent uses o the

space within.

The proposal was to open up access by

creating a new entrance gate and ootpath

to the club’s historic cricket eld; young

volunteers would also take part in local ood

growing on site.

16 GreenPrints



How were young people

involved in designing

the project?

Supporting young people to lead on

design and delivery comes as second

nature to WBYi. The young people got

involved in every aspect o this project

including:

• planning o the space

• designing the raised beds

• organising the purchasing and;

• doing the spade work.

Eight young men aged between 16

and 18 took part. Some were not in

employment, education or training,

and so needed close support and

encouragement. Two were at risk o

exclusion rom school. Nasar Khan, one

o the youth workers at WBYi worked

in dierent ways to motivate them to

participate. The act that they all remained

involved is testament to the patience and

expertise shown by the workers and to

the determination o the young people

involved.

How were young peopleinvolved in delivering the

project?

The young people worked to clear the

area o debris, which involved digging

down through layers o illegally tipped

rubbish that had built up over the years.

They prepared the ground and laid new

pathways, made raised beds and planted

them to create interest and ood crops.

In true WBYi style, Haqueq not only

made sure that the young people were

well supported – he also brought in

many useul partners: BTCV provided

expertise and more volunteer hands or

the pathway and access work, Bradord

Environment Education Service (BEES)

gave invaluable advice and resources or

the ood growing element and the local

police ocer even rolled up his sleeves

and got involved.

Outcomes

O the eight young men involved in

creating and delivering this project

– two went into education, one into

employment, one into training and two

into another volunteering opportunity.

These antastic outcomes justiy the time

spent in supporting the young people.

Fasal Saleem, a key volunteer who has

contributed more than one hundred

hours to the GreenPrints project, has

now become a trusted leader at the club

and WBYi. Fasal engenders respect rom

his peers and the younger kids. He has

developed throughout GreenPrints and is

now a trusted ‘key-holder’, which means

he opens up the club to community

groups, helps organise events, and most

crucially, motivates younger people to get,

and stay, involved in the activities.

The legacy o the ood growing initiative

is a desire by the young people involved

with WBYi to grow and eat more o

their own ood which is a really positive

outcome or both wellbeing and cutting

ood miles. The community ties with the

cricket club have grown ever stronger.

Happy that the young people are taking

control o the project site WBYi workershave reduced their input and returned to

their core outreach work, undertaking a

new project working with young people

who could become susceptible to, or

involved in, gun crime.

As or the space, the younger kids are

now involved in the on-going planting,

watering and expansion o the ood

growing project. A new in-fux o girl-

power is also one o the unexpected

outcomes o this project. The uture health

o the community is in sae hands!

GreenPrints 17



Type of green space Number of

GreenPrints

Flagship projects

Parks 19

Nature Reserves 20

Church Grounds 3

City Farms 3

Community Centre Grounds 7

Walled Gardens 2

Youth Play & Sports Facilities 4

Ponds, Canals, Lakes & Rivers 11

Community Gardens 6

Public Woodlands 8

Historical Monuments 2

Community Orchards 2

Cycle Routes / Bike Tracks 2

The types of green space improvements undertaken

through GreenPrints projects varied greatly depending

on local needs and the ambitions of young volunteers:

PracticalimprovementsOver 400 community

green spaces beneftted

rom the improvements

through GreenPrints.

18 GreenPrints



Tom’s Story

In June 2008 at the age o 17, Tom

Wilson rom Gateshead in Newcastle

upon Tyne agreed to help a college

riend with a “little volunteering project”.

Little did he know that his oer o a day’s

help would end up lasting or over 12

months, involve managing a budget, the

responsibility or a team o volunteers and

an unplanned haircut!

Below, Tom looks back on his experience

o leading a GreenPrints Flagship project

and explains the dierence that young

people have made to the landscape in a

wild part o Northumberland:

How did the project comeabout?Back in Spring 2008 I was at college

studying or my A Levels and a riend

asked i I’d help do some environmental

work at a local nature area called Blackhall

Mill. I was looking or a way to kill time but

also to get voluntary experience that would

help me get a job or get a university place

once I’d nished my A levels. It sounded

interesting so I said I’d help out.

Have you always had aninterest in the environment?Growing up in Northumberland I spent lots

o time outdoors in the countryside so I’ve

always been interested in wildlie and the

local environment. I’m not really the type to

sit indoors in ront o the television!

Was it difcult to get the projectstarted?Yes! Everything happened really quickly at

the start and it was all very daunting. My

riend had already lled in an application

orm or GreenPrints and within a ew

weeks o getting involved we had a visit

rom one o the team who we had to show

around Blackhall Mill and explain our plans

or improving the nature area. I was really

nervous as I’d never done anything like this

beore but the meeting went well. Beore

I knew it we’d been oered the money to

complete the project but that’s when things

really got tough. The reality o doing the

project started to dawn on us and then my

riend moved onto other things so I was let

to work things out on my own.

Did you get any other help?Once the initial buzz o excitement was

over things got tough and it would have

been easy to have given up at that point.

The main thing that kept me motivated

was knowing that nobody was telling me I

had to do the project and it was my choice

to be getting involved. I was assigned a

GreenPrints Mentor who helped take some

o the weight o my shoulders but it was

down to me to make things happen. BTCV

introduced me to a local volunteer group

who started coming to site and helping

with some o the work. I recruited someo my riends to help out too and slowly

things started to take shape.

So, how did you improve thenature area?The main aim o the project was to help

protect the wildlie but also make sure

that local people could continue to access

and enjoy the site. A lot o the ootpaths

had become overgrown so one o the rst

things we did was clear the overgrown

vegetation and repair the hedgerows

and encing. Another problem was that

the banks o the stream were becoming

eroded causing fooding. We installed

willow spilling to strengthen the banks and

also created a wildlie pond. We planted

hundreds o trees on the site too.

What did you learn throughrunning the project?One o the most important lessons I

learned through doing the project was howto see something through to the nish.

Early on I had to learn to motivate mysel

and others knowing that there was no

Volunteer Diversity

Volunteers were given the option to give

urther inormation about themselves.

Amongst other things, this helped us to

understand i GreenPrints was attracting a

diverse range o young people.

On completion o the programme we are

pleased to report:

• 12.5% o volunteers described

themselves as other than white British

compared to the England average o

9.1%

• GreenPrints has engaged 909 volunteers

who consider themselves disabled. This

represents 13.9% o participants.

reward apart rom a sense o satisaction

out o doing something or nothing. On

a practical level I learned lots about

conservation, like how to install encing.

What was the unniest momento the project?One o the volunteers turned up on site

one day with a pot noodle and a ork or

his lunch. Unortunately, he had orgotten to

bring any hot water to ll it with so he put

it beside the re in the hope it might warm

up. When he came back at lunchtime he

ound a molten mess!

We oten had a re on site to keep us

warm in the rain and snow and on one

particularly cold day I thought it’d be a

good idea to get nicely warm and dry

by the re. What I didn’t realise was that

my long hair would dry quicker than my

clothes and I didn’t notice the hot ash

alling all around. That was when my hair

caught on re! I ended up with a bald spot

so rather than suer urther embarrassment

I opted or a new short haircut!

What are you doing next?I’ve got a place at Exeter University to study

Conservation, Biology and Ecology startingin September. Beore I got involved in the

GreenPrints project I wasn’t really sure

what I wanted to do when I let sixth orm

but now I’m really excited to be studying

something that I know really interests me.

GreenPrints 19



Bollo BrookYouth CentreColin Brent, Youth Worker at BolloBrook Youth Centre tells us about a

Flagship project that helped young

people through a difcult time.

South Acton is in a large, deprived housing

estate in west London, with a population o

around 6,000 people. At Bollo Brook Youth

Centre we oer activities and support or

13 to 19 year olds. We work with around

100 young people on a regular basis.

In September 2008, one o the regulars

at the youth centre, Craig Marshall, was

murdered. He was only 19. As you can

imagine, this loss came as a great shock

to the young people, who struggled with

ways to deal with their emotions. As well

as oering them all the support that we

could, the team at Bollo Brook decided

that something concrete should be done

that would allow the young people to take

positive action. This was the principal

behind the making o a memorial garden,

Bollo Refection Garden, in a space

behind the centre, where there was only

some cracked concrete and a rusting

shipping container. This was not to just be

a memorial or Craig, but a space were

young people could go to refect on their

own problems. South Acton can be a harsh

place to grow up in, so the creation o a

soter space, with an emphasis on plants

attracting wildlie, would oer young people

a brie respite. A ew months later we

secured unding rom the SITA Trust, and

work on the project started in May last year.

None o us was certain o how ar the

young people would become engaged in

the project. Nevertheless, we have all been

surprised by their enthusiasm. Around

40-50 young people have taken part in

the project, rom designing the lay-out to

building the fower beds, choosing and

maintaining the plants and making a

mural on the wall overlooking the garden.

One o the most emotionally charged

pieces o work was the making o the

gate and bench or the garden. We hired

a proessional sculptor to work with the

20 GreenPrints



young people to design and make these.

The bench was made by Craig’s brother

and best riend. The two o them bent,

cut and welded the steel over two days to

create the bench. Although ew words were

spoken whilst doing this, it let all those

involved emotionally drained. When we

stepped back to contemplate the nished

bench, I elt that this physical activity had

been as important as any supportive

conversation we had had with them.

Apart rom the direct involvement o the

young people, the success o the project

has been evident in several other ways.

One has been the respect shown to the

garden. The day ater the installation o

the bench, I remember walking around

the corner with great trepidation, hal

expecting to nd an empty space. Much

to my relie, the bench was still there, and

indeed, as the garden has developed and

we have let pots out, everything remains

in place. Even young people not renowned

or their respect o others’ property have

shown a great deal o respect or the

garden – as though, somehow, this was

a dierent space. Young people in South

Acton, indeed in society on the whole,

do not always enjoy the best reputation,

but this project has been a way or them

to disprove some o these prejudices. As

we have been out in the garden, digging

over the vegetable patches or cutting the

grass, members o the public passing byhave oten stopped to comment on the

positive nature o the project, and the great

contribution made by the young people.

The enthusiasm has actually caused us a

welcome problem – there is not enough

space in the garden or them to do as

much as they would like. Over the winter

months, I have regularly had to turn away

young people who would want to do some

gardening, as there is simply nothing that

needs doing. We are thereore looking at

broadening the project and, in partnership

with other community groups on the estate,

working with the young people to transorm

the green spaces o the estate, putting innew fower beds, vegetable patches and

wildlie areas.

So, why is this project so important? The

use o physical activity as a way to express

yoursel and the ability to make where you

live a better place have both been central.

For me this project represents the best o

youth work principals. It is not based on

instant gratication – some o the plants

that we have planted will die, some o the

seeds will not germinate. This, however,

is no reason not to plant them. The skills

learnt rom the project do not lead directly

to education or employment or the young

people, but rather centre on their emotions.

In conclusion, this project is not about

telling people how to lead their lives, but

rather helping to provide them with the

emotional resources to deal with uture

decisions and hardships.

GreenPrints 21



22 GreenPrints, measuring the outcomes o an innovative three-year unding programme enabling volunteering opportunities or 16-25 year olds

name, but you will have seen it i you

have ever driven through Yorkshire on

the M1! Until 2009, the site was home

to the two enormous cooling towers that

were part o the ormer Tinsley power

station. A local community group obtained

unding rom the Arts Council and, led

by the inspirational Jennier Rich, were

going to create a sonic art-walk with audio

montages o past workers rom the area

being broadcast by solar power transmitters

as a lasting testimony to their heritage.

Where BTCV came in was to tackle the

two-mile track o land rom the Tinsley

tram stop to the Tinsley Canal. Based on

the accounts o local people collected

by the Echoes o Blackburn Meadows

group, it had been a haven or wildlie.

Unortunately most o the land has not

been managed sympathetically or some

time, so or wildlie it had eectively

become a ‘no-go’ area.

Using GreenPrints unding youngpeople worked with BTCV and Echoes

o Blackburn Meadows to provide a

sae, clean environment or local people

How did the project

come about?

This Flagship project was as innovative as it

was successul. Blackburn Meadows is an

area with an interesting and distinguished

past. You may not know the place by

to experience and enjoy walking in.

Together, they aimed to construct a

landscape that would showcase the

industrial artwork and create a habitat that

would encourage and increase the wildlie

interest and the biodiversity o the site.

How were young peopleinvolved in designing &delivering the project?

Young people were pivotal to the success

o the project and they took on active and

important roles.

A young persons management group

was ormed and they made the key

decisions. They each had a dened role

with associated responsibilities, so in

eect each member o the group became

a mini project manager, ully supported by

BTCV sta.

Young volunteers were responsible or

the vast majority o all the practical work

that took place, regularly working in all

weathers. Whilst on site, some o the

young volunteers were the designated

BTCV – “Echoes

o BlackburnMeadows”

22 GreenPrints



rst aiders, others site supervisors, which

included training up the new young people

that joined the group on a weekly basis.

Jennier Rich was in charge o publicity

and promotion o the project and

handled the media and all press invites.

Alex Bryant and Aimie Hope acted as

administrators predominantly dealing

with volunteer enquiries and volunteer

registration orms. Sam Bouzida was

treasurer and oversaw the spending o

the £10,000 award so that the group

didn’t go over budget. Finally Vicky Moore

was the task day leader responsible or

organising tasks, ordering materials and

being the site supervisor and trainer orthe GreenPrints tasks. The Management

Group attended weekly project updates

with John Thompson o BTCV or support

and guidance.

Outcomes

The area suers rom air pollution

rom industry past and present and

unemployment is high due to a decline

in traditional industry. The young people

opened up, re-vitalised and transormed

the area through their combined eorts.

They came rom ar and wide, including

but not limited to; Sheeld Universities,

local schools such as Notre Dame and

Freeman College and Sheeld Futures

and other local Voluntary Action groups

and Job Centre reerrals.

Throughout the project, the young people

made extensive improvements to the

local area. They installed a wooden

interpretation panel at the site entrance

detailing the historical past o the site and

also an extensive overview o the work

they carried out.

They resuraced ootpaths and cleared

overhanging oliage. Two slab top

benches were installed along with a

wetland scrape to encourage amphibians

(especially rogs) to the area. A sloping

bank was cleared o encroaching scrub to

encourage growth o wildfowers and to

diversiy the habitat or animals that thrive

on bare ground. The team also replaced20 wooden steps and planted a hedgerow

consisting o approximately 100 native

species whips. Finally, they cut back two

large trees to open up the area to views

o Rotherham and Sheeld or visitors to

take in whilst sat on the top bench.

They received qualications and training

in a wide range o areas, including

Emergency rst aid, MIDAS minibus

driving, LANTRA brushcutter / trimmers

maintenance and operation and Duke o

Edinburgh Gold Awards.

The project eatured regularly on the

news section o www.btcv.org.uk, a

Facebook page was also created and

the project eatured on the local BBC

News. John Thompson, the project leader

and Vicky Moore were interviewed on

BBC Radio Sheeld about the project at

its beginning and a large article on theunding award was also eatured in the

Sheeld Star on 5th February 2010.

To cap it all, the celebration event

generated so much publicity that local MP

David Blunkett heard all about it. He was

so impressed with the work o the young

volunteers that he came and ocially

opened the ootpath (see photo below).

Volunteer Progression

40 Flagship projects were able to report

on how volunteers progressed once the

GreenPrints unded project was complete.

This inormation provides a small but

representative sample o what 871 young

people did in the weeks/months ollowing

their involvement in a GreenPrints project:

• 312 volunteers (36%) progressed into

another volunteering opportunity

• 87 volunteers (10%) were no longer

volunteering

• 100 volunteers (11.5%) went into

employment

• 177 volunteers (20%) went into education

• 143 volunteers (16.4%) progressed into

training.

GreenPrints 23



Lavender Pond

Located at the northern end o Surrey

Commercial Docks in South East London

and under the shadows o the toweringCanary Whar, Lavender Pond is a wetland

nature reserve providing an important

green space or both wildlie and local

residents. Despite covering only 2.5 acres,

the park eatures a variety o habitats

each with characteristic communities

o plants and animals. Some areas are

let as undisturbed as possible, while

others are heavily used by local residents,

schoolchildren and other visitors. A system

o wooden boardwalks enables people

to see the plants and animals at close

quarters without trampling the ragile

vegetation.

This project is a great example o

a truly youth-led approach with

young people supported to take

ownership o all aspects, rom

design through to evaluation. Ater

taking part in a series o Event projects

where they were introduced to volunteering

on the site, a group o ve young people

set about developing a longer term plan

o action. Consulting with the Friends

o Lavender Pond and a local residents

association, the volunteers developed a

plan or improving the site to ensure that

it could continue to be enjoyed. The plan

included creating a butterfy bank and

wildfower meadow, increasing wildlie

planting, installing benches and signageand resuracing the area around the pond.

With support rom the Trust or Urban

Ecology (TRUE) the group were successul

in securing a grant o £9,800 rom SITA

Trust providing the incentive to set about

recruiting other young people to help them

bring about the transormation.

The results o the project have been really

well received by the local residents who

have commented on the quality o the

work carried out and the determination o

the volunteers who laboured on through

all weather conditions. On one particularly

Following a series o GreenPrints

Events at Lavender Pond, a group o

dedicated young volunteers with a

passion or conservation emergedwith a plan to revitalise the important

inner-city nature reserve.

wet day a kind neighbour even provided

tea and biscuits but disappeared quickly

beore she could be thanked!

The volunteers have enjoyed learning a

range o new skills including undraising,

landscape design, budgeting, wetland

planting and block paving. Many o the

team continue to volunteer at the site

whilst some are planning to use the

experience to nd employment in the elds

o conservation and undraising.

24 GreenPrints



Volunteer eedback

How would you describe your time spent

volunteering with GreenPrints?

Did you learn anything rom

the experience?

Gender o volunteers

Age range o volunteers

W ould v olunteer w ith Gr eenP r ints 63%

Might v olunteer 18%

W ould v olunteer but not w ith Gr eenP r ints

16%

W ill nev er v olunteer again 3%

I lear ned things I didn’t k now bef or e 58%

I lear ned things I couldn’t do bef or e 32%

I lear ned nothing 10%

16-18 43%

19-20 24%

21-25 33%

Male 3954 60%

F emale 2624 40%

Has the experience inspired

you to do more?

GreenPrints 25

E xcellen t

67%

Rubbish

1%

OK 32%



Flagshipsfunded through GreenPrints

British Trust or Conservation

Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0001 Restoring Long Hill

£10,000.00

Bosworth Youth Ranger Team

GPF0003 Birds Need Friends in

Bosworth

£7,897.80

Wiltshire Wildlie Trust

GPF0004 TrackerPillars

£6,696.49

Gildersome Baptist Church

GPF0005 Gildersome Baptist Church

Wildlie and Heritage Project

£7,454.24

New Wortley Community Association

GPF0006 New Wortley Community

Open Garden Project

£9,067.82

British Trust or ConservationVolunteers (BTCV)

GPF0007 Lakeside GreenPrint -

Hedges or the Future

£9,741.36

Somerset Wildlie Trust

GPF0009 Wildlie Volunteering on the

Quantocks

£8,203.28

Northdale Horticulture

GPF0013 Nature Trail Improvements

£4,121.00

Warwickshire Wildlie Trust

GPF0015 Reclaim Primrose Hill Park

£7,140.82

East Durham College

GPF0017 Pond and Habitat Creation,Enhancement o Conservation Areas

£8,382.01


Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0018 Lytham Cricket Club

Woodland Scheme

£7,950.00

Waterways Trust, The

GPF0020 Taking Action or Stroudwater

Canal

£9,136.00

St Stephen’s Church, Bath

GPF0021 St Stephen’s Community

Wildlie Project

£9,865.92

St Werburghs City Farm

GPF0024 Boiling Wells Outdoor

Perormance and Education Space

£9,842.90

Groundwork Thames Valley

GPF0025 Cowsey Improvement

Project, The

£1,487.70

Sunderland Training & Education

Farm Ltd (STEF’s)

GPF0026 Youth Events Committee

£10,000.00

Together Project, The

GPF0030 Together Project, The

£9,088.75


Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0031 Pex Hill Quarry£6,966.35

Groundwork Shefeld

GPF0032 The Rosary

£9,122.75

British Trust or Conservation Volunteers

(BTCV)

GPF0111 Improving South Moor Hill

£4,785.02

Groundwork - South Tyneside

GPF0112 Wildlie Watch Out

£7,594.91


(BTCV)

GPF0113 Whitecity Community Garden

£7,284.59

Tees Valley Wildlie Trust

GPF0116 Portrack Wild Youth Gateway

Project

£9,847.47

Bollo Brook Youth Action

GPF0119 Bollo Refection Garden

£9,069.31


(BTCV)

GPF0120 Route 66 Community Garden

£8,917.69

Plantlie International

GPF0121 Generation Ryewater£8,562.40

Lancashire Wildlie Trust

GPF0122 Drystone Walling at Longworth

Clough

£7,550.19

West Bowling Youth Initiative

GPF0125 Green Way

£9,812.40

Camley Street Natural Parkies

GPF0127 Riparian Habitat Creation at

Camley Street Natural Park

£8,119.00

Lavender Pond Volunteers

GPF0128 Lavender Pond Lakeside Project

£9,764.98

British Trust or Conservation Volunteers(BTCV)

GPF0129 Warmley Forest Park Project

£7,543.02

Hope Inclusion Time Success Ltd (HITS)

GPF0132 My Wild Space

£9,067.93


(BTCV)

GPF0133 Milton Avenue Green-side

£3,017.86

Hampshire and Isle o Wight Wildlie

Trust

GPF0134 Foxlease: Operation Restoration

£6,978.00

Friends o Beaulieu Heights

GPF0135 Beaulieu Heights£7,606.59

Young Friends Together

GPF0137 Haigh Hall Community Orchard

£9,650.00


(BTCV)

GPF0140 Carr’s Woodland Wonder

£7,758.07

Surrey Wildlie Trust

GPF0143 Greenngered Garrison - Pirbright

Barracks Community Centre Wildlie Garden

£9,139.43


(BTCV)

GPF0149 Echoes o Blackburn Meadow

£9,499.59

Leeds University Union Conservation

Volunteers

GPF0151 The Woodhouse Ridge Student

Project

£2,201.83


Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0033 University o Kent

Volunteering Project

£6,949.85

Oak Grove College

GPF0034 Rosie Community Garden

£9,991.67

Easton Community Centre / Toc H

GPF0037 The Corner Garden

£8,536.09

Rutland Water Young Rangers

GPF0039 Rutland Water: Wildlie

Garden

£7,294.18

Shirley Warren Community Garden

Project

GPF0043 Shirley Warren Community

Garden Green Gym

£10,000.00

Heeley Development Trust

GPF0044 Osmosis

£9,153.89

Change or all Network GPF0047 Beautication o Salmons

Brook

£9,905.00

Groundwork Shefeld

GPF0048 Upperthorpe Peace Gardens

£9,136.21

The Wildlie Trust or Lancashire,

Manchester and North Merseyside

GPF0051 GreenPrints at Penwortham

£9,869.00

Bridgwater College Green Pioneers

GPF0052 Keeping It Green

£9,110.30

Friends o Hollybush

GPF0056 Hollybush Wildlie Garden

Project£9,969.99

Vale o York Environment Group

GPF0060 River Foss Environment

Project, The

£8,566.00

7th Eastleigh 2nd Fair Oak Scout

Group

GPF0063 Improvements to Grounds

Surrounding Scout Hut

£6,240.61


Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0065 The Great Greenie

£6,548.97


Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0069 Barnstendale Centre

£9,000.31


Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0070 Ammerdown Park Tower

Garden

£7,680.25


Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0071 West Heath Amenity

Management

£8,029.45

North Pennines Heritage Trust

GPF0072 Historic Dilston Conservation

Project

£9,990.59

Sel UnlimitedGPF0073 CARE Wildlie Project

£9,818.77

Avon Tyrrell Activity Centre

GPF0075 Wildlie Garden

£8,991.20


Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0076 Traord Mill Kitchen Garden

£7,822.10

Blackhall Mill Youth Making a

Dierence

GPF0077 Promoting Biodiversity in

Blackhall Mill

£8,445.03

Dilston College o FE Mencap

GPF0078 Quaker Hole Wildlie Project

£9,743.26

Lancashire Wildlie Trust

GPF0079 Magical Mosslands Flagship

£5,461.91

The Waterways Trust

GPF0080 Creating a Wet Corridor

£8,305.90

Monkton Wyld Court

GPF0082 The Wyldside Project

£7,931.72

South Hunsley Spaces

GPF0083 South Hunsley School Nature

Trail Project

£8,999.00

TROY (Trinity Real Opportunities or

Young People)

GPF0084 HELP (Hannakins

Environmental Landscape Project)

£9,941.39


Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0085 Star Orchard

£8,371.67

Friends o Crowborough Country

Park LNR

GPF0089 Operation Kermit£9,997.41

Fairbridge in London

GPF0092 Eco-Warriors

£3,999.49

Friends o Witton Dene

GPF0093 Witton Dene Wetlands

£6,807.44

Youth Moves & Newry Walk Church

GPF0097 Spark (Newry Walk)

£5,167.53


Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0099 Broughton Pond & Habitat

Improvement Project

£8,863.91

Hampshire and Isle o Wight WildlieTrust

GPF0100 Slash ‘n’ Burn

£7,117.25

The Wildlie Trust or Lancashire,

Manchester and North Merseyside

GPF0101 Wonderul Woodland!

£9,932.12

Spitalfelds City Farm

GPF0104 The Treehouse Project

£10,000.00


Volunteers (BTCV)

GPF0105 The Continued Restoration

Long Hill

£9,151.79

Shefeld Wildlie Trust

GPF0106 Sunnybank Fencing

£9,269.40

26 GreenPrints





SITA Trust

The Barn Brinkmarsh Lane Falfeld

South Glos GL12 8PT

t 01454 262910

e [email protected]

www.sitatrust.org.uk

Enriching nature, Enhancing communities

Greenprints

Documents

Green Prints Report