COMMUNITY groups across the West will soon be able to access a share of £25,000 to bring local nature and green space projects to life through the Mayor's Community Nature Fund.

Alongside the fund, a new crowdfunding initiative developed by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority in partnership with community fundraising platform Spacehive is being launched to help residents propose, promote, and raise money for projects that improve their local environment.

The platform will support communities in turning ideas for greener, healthier neighbourhoods into reality. Eligible projects could include community gardens, habitat creation, tree planting, pollinator-friendly spaces, improvements to parks and green spaces, and initiatives that help people connect with nature and the outdoors.

To help projects get off the ground, the Mayor's Community Nature Fund may also contribute up to £6,000 towards selected projects, covering up to 50 percent of a fundraising target.

This new support has been made available through Local Nature Recovery Strategy funding from the government, backing community-led action to enhance biodiversity, improve access to nature and create greener spaces that benefit both people and wildlife.

The launch of the Mayor's Community Nature Fund comes as growing attention is focused on the importance of restoring nature and building societal and economic resilience across the region.

The publication of the West of England State of Nature report in June and the creation of a new £5 million Nature Fund for larger projects are significant steps to reverse biodiversity decline and connect people with nature.

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: "The West of England should be a place where people and nature thrive side by side, with richer habitats, healthier green spaces, and stronger connections between communities and our natural world.

“Across our region, local people are already doing incredible work to help restore waterways, create wildlife habitats, plant trees, and transform neglected spaces. Through my new Community Nature Fund, I want to help even more of these ideas flourish.

“By backing community-led nature projects, we can not only support nature to recover but also create places that people can enjoy, take pride in and protect for future generations.”

Head of impact at Spacehive, Tom Shakhli, said: “We're proud to launch this new crowdfunding programme with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, to help residents drive transformative, positive change in their local area.

“What excites me most is the range of ideas residents bring to us. We've tried hard to keep the platform simple to get started with, and one happy result is that lots of our creators are fundraising for the very first time.

“We support them at every stage, with online workshops, one-to-one help and practical resources covering everything from costing a project to promoting a campaign. I can't wait to see the vision people have for restoring and improving the spaces around them.”

Details of the application process and eligibility can be found at https://www.spacehive.com/programme/communitynaturefund/