Celebrating diversity at Philips Park

Philips Park is a critically important Local Nature Reserve sitting at a key point on one of the most important nature recovery networks in Greater Manchester.  As well as being a strategic location for nature, Philips Park is on the doorstep of the City and within walking distance of the communities of Whitefield and Prestwich. It offers a countryside experience to these urban communities, something which the pandemic highlighted more than ever as being vital to the health and wellbeing of people.

Awareness and use of Philips Park by the local and wider community is low, particularly amongst ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities and low-income families.  These audiences are those most underrepresented in use and active involvement in natural environment. It is critical that we facilitate and support individuals and champions from these communities to have the knowledge, confidence and influence to use Philips Park and other areas of the natural environment so that they benefit from such spaces.  If we do not encourage, facilitate and empower a much larger and more diverse audience to use Philips Park it is clear that the sites’ value as a community asset will not be realised, which will significantly impact upon investment and quality of the site.

During 2021 we piloted new engagement programmes including family events, volunteering for those with poor health and wellbeing and nature walks. These engagement programmes have evidenced our ability to reach and engage with new audiences.  Building on this pilot project we now aim to develop and deliver a programme to engage with the most underrepresented groups living in close proximity to Philips Park.

Our project will cost approximately £42,000 to support a project officer and pay for equipment, volunteer and event costs to deliver the following outcomes: 

• Targeted engagement activities to connect new and underrepresented audiences with nature at Philips Park. Key target audiences will include SEN groups, disabled groups, older people groups, Jewish community and black and Asian groups; 

• Training and confidence building for community champions who represent and or lead groups representing underrepresented groups to empower them to regularly use, benefit from and take action for Philips Park; 

• An expanded engagement programme at the site which supports individuals with poor mental wellbeing to connect with the natural environment and gain skills, confidence and knowledge to take action for nature; 

• Piloted delivery of a new corporate wellbeing service at Philips Park which encourages and supports businesses to take action for nature and the climate at this flagship nature reserve whilst also providing employees with the opportunity to de-stress, build new and stronger relationships with their co-workers and to spend some time in contact with nature; 

• Over 1,000 adults and children connected with nature at Philips Park through a series of engaging and exciting events, including use of music and arts to reach new audiences who do not normally engage with nature and the outdoors. 

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