Open spaces activism UK
The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of UK community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism protecting, restoring and enhancing open spaces of all kinds from public places in urban environments to rural wilderness. Learn about how communities positively impact through innovations, different projects and collaborations. The majority of our information about this is collated via our place pages...Near you.
News
Frome residents win five-year battle for community-led housing project, theguardian.com (Jan 23, 2025) — “What’s really exciting for me is that it’s not actually about the amount of commercial space or the affordable housing it will provide – it’s about the sense of confidence and agency and possibility that I think it will give us as a community.” Fiona Barrows, Frome town councillor- Public assured access to a green 'haven of peace', BBC News (Jan 22, 2025)
- A radical British politics rooted in nature is spreading – and the establishment doesn’t like it. John Harris, theguardian.com (Apr 21, 2024)
Video
Events
Jul 26 - Aug 4, 2024 (Fri - Sun) — Love Parks Week, Keep Britain Tidy- Jun 7 - 15, 2025 (Sat-Sun) — Great Big Green Week, celebrating communities taking action to tackle climate change and protect green spaces, greatbiggreenweek.com
Networks, alliances and support organisations
- Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens
- Fields in Trust, British charity which aims to protect and promote open spaces for sports and recreation in British cities and towns.
- Green Flag Award, benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the United Kingdom. The scheme is owned by the Government through the Department for Communities and Local Government, though it is managed by other agents under contract.
- Little Green Space
- Open Spaces Society, campaign group that works to protect public rights of way and open spaces in the United Kingdom, such as common land and village greens. It is Britain's oldest national conservation body and a registered charity.
- Natural England, non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved. It also has a responsibility to help people enjoy, understand and access the natural environment.
- National Nature Service, added 15:45, 3 October 2020 (UTC)
How to's
Plantlife Meadows hub, includes information about making and maintaining a meadow. added 15:43, 8 February 2022 (UTC)
Maps
- OS Greenspace, OS GetOutside, added 13:13, 9 January 2021 (UTC)
- Access to green space in England, Are you missing out? friendsoftheearth.uk, addedd 17:03, 1 October 2020 (UTC)
Other resources
- Future Parks, A toolkit to help build a sustainable future for parks and green spaces
- Green Belts, information from Campaign to Protect Rural England
- Local Green Infrastructure, Helping communities make the most of their landscape, (PDF, 11.87 MB), landscapeinstitute.org, September 2011
- For groups to share, Grow Wild
Green Pennant Award
The Green Flag Award itself is for public-run open spaces, but the same scheme runs an award for community/charity-run public spaces, such as Millennium Greens and Doorstep Greens called the Green Pennant Award. This scheme, started in 2002, has adapted the criteria for voluntary organizations.
Sites for a Green Pennant Award are judged against eight key criteria:
- A welcoming place
- Healthy, safe and secure
- Well maintained and clean
- Environmental sustainability
- Biodiversity and heritage
- Community involvement
- Achievement
See also: Localism UK, London and South East England, Sustainable transport UK, Towards a more democratic and climate friendly way of meeting housing need across England, Urban sustainability UK
local information can be found, or shared, via our many UK location pages