Nature calls in south St.Helens!

The Mersey Forest has launched its "Access to Nature" project to connect St.Helens residents with their natural environment, which will include outdoor school lessons in local woods and improvements to make local green spaces more welcoming.

The project covers the Clock Face and Sutton areas of St.Helens (part of the emerging Bold Forest Park) and began in December with a family activity session at the Leaf Centre to create natural Christmas decorations using materials such as willow and holly.

Later this spring, a taster session will be held for local primary school teachers to set them on the path to becoming Forest School leaders so they can deliver outdoor lessons in woodlands - reconnecting children with nature and encouraging physical activity.

Then in May, The Mersey Forest will begin a community consultation on access improvements to encourage people to use Sutton Manor and King George V playing fields. This will include art workshops to get local families involved in the design of art features for the sites, to be installed over the summer.

There is also the potential for "green gym" sessions in the area, where residents can get fit and improve their surroundings at the same time, through gentle environmental volunteering.

Access to Nature aims to encourage more people to enjoy the outdoors, particularly those who face social exclusion or those that currently have little or no contact with the natural environment - perhaps because they lack the confidence to get out and enjoy natural places or have few opportunities to do so.

Funded by £25 million from the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme and by Natural England, Access to Nature is run by Natural England on behalf of a consortium of major environmental organisations.