Tag: Eden Project

Eden Project: Less than half of UK adults are pulling together in their communities

New research out today reports that less than half of all UK adults (46%) believe that people are pulling together to improve their neighbourhoods.

Only a similar number of us are exchanging favours (45%) with neighbours, despite the current cost of living crisis putting strain on household budgets including rises in rent or mortgages, fuel and food costs.

Eden Project Communities, who are one of the partners behind the Month of Community in June to encourage people to make local connections and support good causes, conducted the research to explore attitudes towards neighbourliness.

It is part of a year-round programme of work focusing on building social capital on a mass scale delivered by Eden Project Communities and made possible by The National Lottery.

Lindsey Brummitt, Eden Project Communities Programme Director said: “This research tells us that people participating in their communities is out of step with the benefits people feel when they have strong local connections.

“The data hints that activities like good old fashioned neighbourliness practiced during the pandemic may be starting to re-emerge, but there is a big opportunity for many people who are not nurturing local support networks which could help them cope better during in the cost of living crisis.”

The nationally representative independent research conducted in the second two weeks in May 2023 also found that 65% agree where they live is friendly, and our sense of belonging to our immediate neighbourhood has actually increased by five percentage points since 2019 to 67% in 2023. An even higher number (74%) also say that they trust their neighbours and feel safe (71%) in their neighbourhoods.

Furthermore, of those who had a Big Lunch to bring people together where they live in 2023, 81% said that their event had a positive impact on their community, and 75% said they are now more likely to give their time to help neighbours or good causes.

After reaching out to their neighbours, people in all parts of the UK have felt the benefits of forging stronger connections with others where they live. 

In Edinburgh, local people joined many others across the country to take part in the Month of Community. On 4 June, over 300 people turned out for the Friends of Campbell Park Big Lunch in honour of Volunteers Week.

With ambitious plans for their community, the group run regular events to connect people and encourage them to bring their creativity to their local green space, and have recently launched a scheme where local people can adopt fruit trees in their orchard, free of charge.

Their Big Lunch was a huge success and featured activities to bring people of all ages together, from football fun games and an Asian themed barbeque table to a jazz band, yoga yurt, tree planting and baking competition. 

Shona Harrower, who organised the event, said: “Last year we hosted our first Big Lunch and we were blown away by the response from the local community.

“This year we have four times the number of volunteers than we had last year – we wouldn’t be able to do what we do if it wasn’t for the army of people helping us out so it feels only right to be celebrating Volunteers Week.”

Reaching out, making local connections and new neighbourhood friendships is something that Eden Project Communities, and other organisations behind the Month of Community support. Approximately 27.6 million adults in the UK say they feel lonely often, always or some of the time, up by five percentage points to 40% in 2023 compared to 35% in 2019. 

Earlier in June, Month of Community ambassador Comedian John Bishop paid a visit to space2grow in Farnham, Surrey – a project that held a Big Lunch to celebrate their neighbourhood connections and invited John to unveil a new Say Hello friendly bench during Loneliness Awareness Week and The Great Big Green Week. The bench now creates a place where people can stop in a green space to chat and make new friends.

Reflecting on his visit to space2grow and the Month of Community John Bishop said: “I’m really proud that Say Hello is part of the Month of Community, when I hope people up and down the country will maybe have a Big Lunch or just take the time to get chatting to people in their community.

“Let’s all put some welly into making connections, supporting each other and the causes we care about during the Month of Community. Appreciating the power of community and the warmth of human connections impresses upon me just how important this really is!” 

The Month of Community is an annual partnership of good causes in June, when people are encouraged to come together to celebrate everyone and everything that make our communities great.

With events and initiatives running throughout June for causes such as Volunteers Week, Carers Week, The Great Big Green Week, Refugee Week and Small Charity Week, it’s a chance to connect with neighbours, say cheers to volunteers, raise awareness of loneliness or simply say thank you. As part of the Month of Community, The Big Lunch is a chance for people to bring their community together, fundraise or celebrate a good cause they care about. 

Lindsey Brummitt continued: “While almost half of the UK is showing signs of being community-minded in this research, we know getting to know neighbours helps to create support networks which makes life better and helps when things are tough – so it’s definitely worth taking a step in that direction if you are not.

“We need to be vigilant about strengthening and investing time in our neighbourhood relationships and during the Month of Community, there are so many opportunities and good causes you could look out for and support to help build your connections.

“We want to help people build their communities, so as well as The Big Lunch and Month of Community each year in June, we’re going to keep working on ideas to boost community spirit all year round – look out for updates at edenprojectcommunities.com!”   

To find out more go to www.monthofcommunity.com or www.TheBigLunch.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @edencommunities

United Kingdom? Wildflower seeds for every ENGLISH primary school class to mark the Coronation

All state funded primary schools in England will be sent wildflower seeds, inspired by His Majesty The King’s love of nature

  • UK Government has joined forces with the Eden Project to offer all state funded primary schools the opportunity to plant wildflowers to celebrate His Majesty The King’s commitment to fighting climate change
  • Planting wildflowers aims to inspire children to learn about nature and boost the biodiversity of the school estate, building on the plans to create a National Education Nature Park
  • Resources for schools also launched to help young people understand the historical significance of the Coronation

To mark the Coronation all state funded primary schools will be sent wildflower seeds that will empower children across the country to discover the joys of nature.

The government-funded project was inspired by His Majesty The King’s love of nature and aims to encourage children to learn about and improve the biodiversity of school’s green spaces, while making them nicer places to work and learn. Improving children’s connection to nature and spending time outdoors will also help to support their mental and physical wellbeing.

In a collaboration between the Department for Education and the Eden Project, over 200,000 seeds packets will be sent to schools, representing 40 hectares of new wildflower areas being planted up across England to support our pollinators. If planted together that would create around 40 rugby pitch sized wildflowers meadows – a small but vital step in boosting biodiversity.

To support schools to celebrate the Coronation, the Department for Education has also commissioned a series of lesson plans and other teaching materials for primary and secondary schools to explain the significance of this historical moment.

The charity Living Paintings has also designed, created and published a pack of tactile and audio resources that will enable blind and partially sighted children to learn about the Coronation, and the Eden Project has also created free lesson resources for schools and families to learn how to make eco-decorations for their Coronation celebrations using natural objects found in their surrounding green spaces.

Schools and other education providers can continue to improve biodiversity in the months and years to come through the National Education Nature Park – which brings together schools, colleges and other education settings into a vast virtual park.

It enables children and young people to get involved in taking practical action to improve the biodiversity of their green spaces, then mapping it online to see over time how the virtual park changes. The National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Award are open for registration from 18 May 2023.

Schools minister Nick Gibb said: “Giving children the opportunity to plant wildflowers will not only make school grounds more attractive, it will also help the next generation understand the importance of improving our biodiversity, while celebrating His Majesty The King’s love of nature.

“To help young people understand the historical significance of the Coronation, we have also asked two history teachers and curriculum experts to produce lesson plans and other materials about the coronation and the history of the monarchy, which we are sending to schools.”

Dan James, Development Director for the Eden Project said: “It is crucial that we replenish our biodiversity across the UK – and even small steps can make a difference.

“Through the work of National Wildflower Centre, Eden Project works with organisations across the UK with projects to make new wildflower habitats that support wildlife and connect people to the natural world. This is a fantastic opportunity for the next generation to see the impact that wildflowers can have, even in small spaces.

“By encouraging our children to plant wildflower seeds we can work towards reversing the decline of pollinators that we are seeing across the UK which is so important for our future.”

The packets of seeds include native annual wildflower species; cornflower, corn poppy, corn chamomile, corncockle, corn marigold and night-flowering catchfly, which if sown this Spring, will be in bloom this Summer.

The wildflowers will provide food for a wide range of insects including bees, butterflies and other pollinators in school grounds across England. Each seed packet covers around 2square metres of blue, white, purple, red and yellow flowers that can be planted in pots, beds or borders to boost colour and biodiversity in school grounds across England.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has commissioned a film for primary school-aged children, explaining the history and significance of the Coronation.

This can be played in classrooms or assemblies and gives children the opportunity to discover the history and importance of the Coronation, the role of His Majesty The King, and the significance of the Monarchy around the world.

The National Education Nature Park is just one of many initiatives in the DfE’s strategy for Sustainability and Climate Change that will provide learners with the resources to live, learn, work and participate in a contemporary global society.

Through climate education, green skills and careers, the Department is helping to create a sustainable future through education, developing the skills needed for a green economy, and supporting our sectors to reach net zero targets.

Edinburgh attraction second in new healthy eating league table

Attractions slash children’s meals as cost-of-living crisis bites

  • Kids’ health “taking the hit” as popular visitor attractions struggle to bounce back post-pandemic with children’s menus scaled back or removed entirely
  • New healthy eating league table calls out venues who fail to offer child portions, vegetables and healthy snacks on days out
  • Finding good food for kids “is the real roller coaster” at UK attractions, with parents complaining of a lack of choice and kids being “maxed out” kids with junk food and sugary treats
  • Drayton Manor named the unhealthiest of 16 family attractions at bottom of the league table  
  • Nine visitor attractions commit to serving veg with every kid’s meal in response to the Soil Association’s Out to Lunch campaign 

Visitor attractions are “slicing, dicing and ditching” children’s menus as they battle with rising ingredient costs and staff shortages, a new Soil Association campaign has revealed. 

The food and farming charity has ranked 16 of the UK’s leading attractions in a new league table after an army of “secret diner” parents helped to assess the quality of food on offer. 

The investigation found children’s menus are suffering as venues and caterers face huge pressures following Covid-19 closures and ongoing staffing and supply chain disruption linked to Brexit and the Ukraine war.  

Parents reported a lack of options with children’s menus removed entirely or smaller than before the pandemic. Children aren’t offered hot meals at almost half of venues and several only offered “nutritionally inadequate” packed lunches lacking fruit or veg. 

A lack of kids’ meals and an abundance of sugary treats saw Drayton Manor take bottom place in the league table – while the Eden Project came top by serving balanced meals with local, fresh, sustainable ingredients.  

Soil Association Head of Food Policy Rob Percival said: “It’s alarming that venues are slicing, dicing, or ditching child appropriate menus. It’s a tough environment for caterers, who are grappling with staff shortages and rising ingredients costs, but it’s disappointing that children’s health seems to be taking the hit.

“In a cost-of-living crisis, when every penny counts, parents should not be forced to buy large adult portions or waste money on nutritionally inadequate meals for their children.” 

The investigation found having a range of children’s meals and healthy options were the top priorities for parents on a day out. More than half of parents surveyed chose one of these options as their number one priority, compared to just 1% who picked “treat” or “junk” food.1 

But less than half of these leading attractions are serving veg with every kid’s meal – while adults are offered a much larger and diverse menu with more choices to eat healthily. 

Percival added: “Everyone likes a treat, but our secret diner parents told us they want diverse and exciting children’s menus. They also want attractions to make it easy for their youngsters to enjoy a healthy meal on days out – some of these attractions simply must do better. 

“It’s essential that venues take responsibility for how family days out shape expectations around ‘treat food’. They must stop promoting an unhealthy ideal which, parents tell us, tracks back home.  

“Offering more veg and less fried or sugary food isn’t that difficult or expensive. In fact, there is little variation in meal prices between the top and bottom of the league table, and several high performing attractions have free entry.  

“Finding good food for kids is the real roller coaster at UK attractions, but there are some great examples of caterers who do put children’s health first. The others must catch up.” 

The investigation found that the higher quality meals at the top two attractions are also among the more affordable days out. Second place holder Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh doesn’t charge for entry and eating out at league table leader Eden Project costs just 24p more than dining with bottom-place Drayton Manor. 

Becky Fenner, Eden’s Hospitality Manager, said: “We are delighted to have come top of the Out to Lunch league table. The Eden Project’s mission centres around building relationships between people and planet to demonstrate the power of working together for the benefit of all living things. 

“Central to this is our food story. We explore ways to deliver Earth-friendly food at scale using a food system rather than a food product approach, finding ways of producing food in a regenerative system that is climate positive, increases biodiversity and enhances soil health. Healthy planet – healthy people.” 

OUT TO LUNCH 2022 League Table - FINAL

Kids targeted with junk 

Parents raised concerns that junk food was being marketed directly to young children. 

Secret diners at Drayton Manor reported tactical junk food placements across the site with doughnuts and sweets at checkouts and no healthy snacks available.  

Secret diner Eve Thomas visited Drayton Manor with her two children, aged three and seven. She said: “I was surprised at how few healthy options were available. Thomas Land had two shops just for sweets and they were big cartons not novelty sized!

“Some rides also required you to walk through the shop after, where there were tubs of sweets and candy floss everywhere. With kids now learning about healthy eating at school, it would have been nice for Thomas and friends to be supporting these messages.

“Plus, in the restaurant they had doughnuts prominently at the counter, which hooked my two in. It was hard to buy fruit shoots, milk, or juice options – it was mostly fizzy drinks on offer.”  

Legoland – the most expensive day out on the table – came in at position 13 after making little progress since it bottomed the previous league table in 2018.  

The attraction has failed to meet its pledge from four years ago to serve veg with every kid’s meal, and fried food remains the dominant food on offer. 

Maxed out with sugar 

Soil Association experts were also disappointed to see high quantities of sugar at many venues, particularly those near the bottom of the table. 

Percival added: “These family attractions need to lay off the sugar. A shocking 80% of desserts stated to be suitable for children across the attractions contain 19g of sugar or more, blowing a four-to-six-year-old child’s daily sugar allowance in one go.

“And what’s worse is the sugar content is rarely advertised so parents faced with ‘pester power’ from their kids can’t even make informed decisions.”

Whipsnade Zoo’s chocolate brownie, aimed at both adults and children, was the worst offender containing 73g of sugar. This is more than twice the recommended daily allowance for adults (30g) and nearly four times the limit for four- to six-year-olds (19g). 

Drayton Manor secret diner Eve added: “By the drive home the kids even headed to the fruit boxes at the service station – they knew they had maxed out.” 

The Soil Association is calling for attractions to: 

  1. Improve the food offering for children, including putting hot meals back on kids’ menus and making child-sized portions available. 
  1. Serve at least one portion of vegetable with every kid’s meal.  
  1. Support healthier choices by offering healthier snacks and reducing the availability and visibility of high sugar and ultra-processed snacks. 
  1. Switch to UK farm assured meat and higher welfare animal products, such as organic. 
  1. Make sure free drinking water is readily available around the attraction including in restaurants 

For more information on the campaign and for a full profile for each attraction, visit www.soilassociation.org/outtolunch. 

Furniture that protects the planet, people & communities

How 13.2 million recycled plastic bottles become a game-changing furniture range: introducing Nassau from LifestyleGarden

Last week LifestyleGarden®, in partnership with Plastic Bank and the Eden Project, launched one of the most exciting furniture ranges to ever hit the UK market.

The new Nassau collection – powered by Social Plastic® is set to revolutionise the impact furniture can have upon the planet as well as people and communities.

Not only will every Nassau chair be made from the equivalent of 175 recycled plastic bottles, but the range is already committed to utilising the equivalent of 13.2million bottles (or 264,000kgs) in its first year. That’s a lot of plastic!

Nassau carver easy chair, FSC LOT, PLC HOY, PNY, SGN, CSN (17)

The impact of the Nassau collection goes further than vital environmental protection, however. In a true industry first, this collection will also close the loop by positively impacting the social and economic communities within the Plastic Bank supply chain through the use of Social Plastic®.

Simply put, Social Plastic® is ethically recovered plastic which helps fight ocean pollution, whilst simultaneously empowering those who collect it.

Collectors in Plastic Bank’s ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities receive bonuses for the materials they collect, which helps them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, school tuition, internet access, health insurance, cooking fuel and more.

Closing the loop

But these collectors aren’t invisible entities operating in the background.  Working with Plastic Bank, LifestyleGarden® is able to access a dashboard, enabling us to see exactly which collector has collected materials which will be funnelled into the Nassau range.

We can then follow these collectors to see how their lives change as the bonuses they receive continue to help them out of poverty.

Social-plastic-3

Over the coming months we be following these collector stories and hope to share them with you.

For now, we hope the Nassau – powered by Social Plastic® range will be of interest. 

The range is available to buy from a wide range of UK garden centres, the Eden Project’s online store and via Robert Dyas on the high street.

The RRP for a two-seater bistro set is £299, whilst a four-seater dining set is £499. A set of two chairs is priced at RRP £179. Available in peony pink, sage green and honey yellow, and white.

If you want to find out more about LifestyleGarden® and its premium-quality outdoor furniture, please visit us at www.lifestylegarden.com and follow the team on Facebook and Instagram.

Eden Project’s back on the road!

After a year and a half of virtual events, we’re heading back out on the road!

We’ll be holding a number of small events around Scotland, bringing people together outdoors for a natter about all things community, a cuppa, and maybe even some cake!

These gatherings will be small, safe, community focused events that help us get together again to simply chat, catch up, share stories and hear from others.

Whether you’ve been part of our network for ages, attended a Community Camp (at the Eden Project or online) or are just interested in meeting other people and groups that share an interest in making positive change in their local neighbourhood, you’re most welcome to join us.

All events are free, but spaces are limited so registration is essential.

Follow the Eventbrite link for more detailed information on each location and to book your place:

Edinburgh – Sun 15 August 2-4pm https://roadshowedinburgh.eventbrite.co.uk

Falkirk – Sat 21 August 11am-1pmhttps://roadshowfalkirk.eventbrite.co.uk

Glasgow – Sun 29 August 1.30-3.30pmhttps://roadshowglasgow.eventbrite.co.uk

Aberdeen – Sat 11 August 2-4pmhttps://roadshowaberdeen.eventbrite.co.uk

Inverness – Sat 25 August 11am-1.30pmhttps://roadshowinverness.eventbrite.co.uk

Dundee – Sat 23 October 12-4pmhttps://roadshowdundee.eventbrite.co.uk

Coronavirus: #CommunityResponse

Leaders from different sectors have joined forces to drive a crucial Community Action Response to encourage everyone to do what they can to support their communities and particularly vulnerable and isolated people during Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Launched by Eden Project Communities with partners The National Lottery Community Fund, Nextdoor, Neighbourhood Watch, Campaign to End Loneliness and Eco Attractions Group, the Community Action Response has been created because of the unprecedented challenge that Coronavirus presents for people in every neighbourhood in the UK.

Eden Project Communities is a UK wide network that has grown out of community building campaign The Big Lunch, which reaches over six million people in communities every year. The organisations are calling for everyone to take steps that will help communities cope when the worst impacts of the virus hit.

Community Action Response – five things you can do:

  1. Think of others, consider your actions & be kind: People in every community will face the challenges of Covid-19 in some way – from needing basic provisions to help while they are unwell.
  2. Connect and reach out to your neighbours: as self-isolation increases, we need to find new ways to stay connected and check in on one another for our physical and mental wellbeing. Share phone numbers and stay in touc
  3. Make the most of local online groups: Keep up to date, share information and be a positive part of your local community conversations using platforms like Nextdoor.
  4. Support vulnerable or isolated people: different groups in our communities are at increased risk and social isolation and loneliness are key concerns for all ages. There are things you can do like volunteering for local support services or donating to food banks to help.
  5. Share accurate information and advice: Support anyone who may be anxious about Covid-19. Sign post them to the correct advice from Public Health England and encourage people to follow the correct hygiene practices.

Research from The Big Lunch shows nearly a fifth of us in the UK have no-one in our neighbourhoods outside our immediate family we could call on if we needed help or support.

With the rapid spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) increasingly likely, this is a real risk and combined with the need to self-isolate this gap in our community connections needs to be closed.

The research also reported that more than 36 million people feel distant or very distant from their neighbours, yet three quarters of us believe it would be better for our communities if we were closer to them.

The Big Lunch commissioned independent research published in their Closing the Distance report to explore how connected people in communities in the UK feel to one another.

Bringing people together to advocate for community action, Peter Stewart, Executive Director of the Eden Project said: “Through our work with communities UK wide we see the difference that people working together can have.

“Neighbourly support can make a huge difference in a world fraught with challenge. The current threat is set to impact all of us in one form or another, and stronger local connections within communities are vital to see this crisis out.

“That’s why we’ve joined forces with our friends and partners to call on people everywhere to take positive action to support and care for each other in the coming weeks and months.”

Dawn Austwick, CEO The National Lottery Community Fund said: “As the largest funder of community activity in the UK, we know community life and connections can help to build bonds of support during difficult times. Being kind, offering support and thinking of one another makes neighbourhoods and communities stronger together.

“This is particularly important for those who are more vulnerable and isolated. At The National Lottery Community Fund we support communities to thrive, this is why we’re pledging our support for this call to action in the coming weeks and months.”

Nick Lisher, Head of EMEA, Nextdoor, said: “Neighbourhoods, can be an essential source of support, information and help in challenging times.

“At Nextdoor, we see first-hand what’s possible when communities work together. Let’s use our resources collectively to help those who are vulnerable or isolated in this time of need. It’s time for us all to create a neighbourhood we can rely on.”

Ian Bretman, Neighbourhood Watch Chair said: “At this stressful time it is more important than ever that we come together to support our loved ones and communities, especially the isolated and vulnerable.

“We all perform different roles in our daily lives but we are also all neighbours and all have the ability to be a good neighbour at this crucial time. At Neighbourhood Watch, we are proud to be joining with our friends and partners to call on everyone to have a united community approach and be mindful of others through these five actions.”

Kate Shurety, Executive Director of the Campaign to End Loneliness said: “For many people there will be a tough, but necessary period of social isolation. Many of us will miss family and friends and taking part in our hobbies, interests and activities.

“It shows how important friendship and connection are in our lives, and how difficult it can be when they’re missing. This reminds us that for too many people their lives are often quite a lot like this. Research shows that half a million older people regularly experience these kinds of protracted periods of isolation, going at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all.”

Eden Project Communities is mobilising their grassroots community-based network and launching #CommunityResponse on social media to help share the actions. They also intend to further support communities in the coming days, weeks and months as needs become clear.

Communities across the country have already taken action to support vulnerable residents:

Zakia’s home for lunch

Zakia Moulaoui worked up an appetite for her Big Lunch at Montgomery Street Park yesterday – she’s just returned from an epic 17 day journey  visiting towns, cities and places from Edinburgh to Orkney (and back again) as one of the walkers who has led Team Scotland of the Eden Project’s Big Lunch Community Walk.

Continue reading Zakia’s home for lunch

Queensferry in the spotlight as Big Walk comes to town

Queensferry Churches’ Care in the Community was Monday’s spotlight visit for walkers leading The Big Walk, an initiative journeying across the UK to shine a light on fantastic communities and projects that make great things happen. Continue reading Queensferry in the spotlight as Big Walk comes to town

Big Walk strolls in to Portobello

Four teams of walkers set off on Wednesday 16 May on an epic three-week journey across the UK, as The Big Walk returns for its second year.  This year, representing Scotland is a 52-year-old father of three, Angus McLeod from Dundee. Joining him on various other sections of the 400-mile route is Adam Mould, founder of the Glasgow Panthers Wheelchair Rugby League team, along with several of his team-mates. Continue reading Big Walk strolls in to Portobello