£20k cash boost for Forest charity helping to connect people with nature

A Forest charity helping to connect people with nature has been awarded £20,000.

Tilefield Nature, based near Brockenhurst has received the money from the National Lottery Community Fund for its project Creating Space for Nature and Community.

The charity will use the award to show people how to create habitats, offer more volunteering roles and run creative activities.

Founder Amanda Barton, who co-directs Tilefield Nature with Vicks Ward, said the grant would allow the organisation to bring a number of ideas together into one co-ordinated two-year project.

She said: “Many people care about nature but everyday life has become increasingly disconnected from it.

“This funding gives Tilefield Nature the chance to create practical, welcoming ways for people to spend time outdoors, learn, notice what is around them and take part in something positive.

“Support for wildlife often begins with small, direct experiences, and this project gives those experiences a clear local focus.”

Work has already started, with students from a local SEN group at Totton College and volunteers from the New Forest National Park Authority and CPRE Hampshire helping with the first stages.

A Creative Countryside Day 2026, is to be held on 22nd August.

The festival is an immersive experience bringing art, craft, and the great outdoors together and will involve nature workshops, creative activities, and foraging or exploration walks.

Amanda added: “Small places matter. Gardens, field margins, smallholdings and community spaces all help create the networks that wildlife needs.”

For more information visit and to book a spot, visit tilefieldequestrian.com