(i)

this was a £1.06 million partnership project which sought to deliver improved opportunities to access green space in and around the city, over a 4 year period; the project was being funded by the Big Lottery Changing Spaces programme; 

(ii)

the project had a unique vision to deliver the ‘Outdoors for All’ agenda; it sought a future where local urban green spaces were promoted as the first step on the journey to experiencing the wide ranging benefits of accessing nature;

(iii)

the Stepping Stones to Nature’s vision had three components –

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local urban green spaces; encourage local communities to contribute to improvements and to develop and participate in activities within these spaces;

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encourage explorations and build confidence in accessing natural areas within the city but outside of the ‘comfort zone’, eg local nature reserves;

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opportunities to experience, encourage exploration and build confidence in visiting one of the many unique natural environments that surround the city, eg Dartmoor National Park and the Tamar Estuaries;

(iv)

the Forder Valley Nature Reserve was an important green expanse within the local community which held significant value for wildlife, landscape and use; funding was available to encourage more people to enjoy and play in the reserve;

(v)

since November 2009, work has been undertaken with residents, Leigham Primary School and Youth Services to install natural play features to encourage children to interact with the environment, weather permitting it was anticipated that the play area would be complete by the end of March;

(vi)

engagement with residents and local groups regarding improving access, paths, signage and seating for a range of ages will continue over the next few months – phase 1 access improvements hope to be completed by the end of April;

(vii)

work would be undertaken over the forthcoming weekend to install den frames, picnic tables and a log bridge;

(viii)

training sessions were being held in the delivery of water surveys which was a national initiative; as part of this initiative the pond at Forder Valley would be looked at;

(ix)

a community event was held to clean up the edge of the reserve and within one hour a skip had been filled;

(x)

a core group of people had expressed an interest in establishing a ‘friends group’ to support activities on the site and encourage ongoing maintenance;

(xi)

the Stepping Stones to Nature project was working with Plymouth Transport and Highways in partnership with the Sustainable Transport team to encourage more people to walk and cycle;

a review of the comments received from the consultation previously undertaken with residents, Leigham Primary School and ward members regarding the cycleway/footway has resulted in the proposed route being amended;

a further consultation event has been planned for Wednesday 31 March 2010, 4pm to 7pm at Leigham Primary School; this would provide the opportunity for residents and parents to view the new plans and to discuss the proposals.