A LEADING Somerset environmental education charity is playing a crucial role in helping young disadvantaged students connect with nature as part of a major £4.5 million project.

The Field Studies Council is one of a number of key organisations helping to deliver the Generation Green 2 project, which by next spring will have enabled more than 41,500 day and overnight nature connection experiences to young people.

The charity is expecting to have welcomed nearly 4,000 young people to its field centres, including at Nettlecombe Court, in Williton, over the course of the initiative after being awarded almost £800,000 of funding.

Mark Castle, CEO of the Field Studies Council, said: “Through this project, the Field Studies Council is inspiring thousands of young people to access nature for the first time and ignite that vital spark of curiosity in the world around them.

“Over recent months, we’ve already seen their eyes widen, horizons expand, and possibilities multiply for their future relationship with the natural environment.

"Our charity is enabling secondary school students and young adults to access personal and professional learning through online and place-based courses about nature.

“By using our high-quality biodiversity publications and experiencing residential trips at our specialist field centres, they are being given the opportunity to immerse themselves in some of nature’s most awe-inspiring locations.

"We’re excited to be providing unique experiences and guided access to nature for the young people most in need of opportunity. For many of us, we take being able to step outside and explore the natural world for granted.

“Showing these young people that nature can not only provide a lifetime of enjoyment and wellbeing but how it can also offer opportunities for incredible future study and fulfilling careers is a privilege. We are really pleased to be playing a part in their journey of discovery."

Generation Green 2 is the second project to be delivered by the Access Unlimited coalition which, as well as the Field Studies Council, also comprises YHA (England and Wales) as the project lead and partners, The Outward Bound Trust, Scouts, Girlguiding, nine English National Parks, and the National Landscapes Association.

The project is being funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as part of its ongoing support of access to nature.

Delivery of the year-long Generation Green 2 project began in spring 2024 and has so far enabled almost 6,000 young people to take part in experiences across England.

The Field Studies Council is using several of its field study sites which are located either in or near to National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Beauty to deliver its sessions.

Nettlecombe Court, the Leonard Willis Field Centre, lies in a secluded valley at the eastern edge of Exmoor National Park. The centre sits in its own grounds made up of heritage parkland, ancient woodland as well as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its lichen communities.

For more information about the Field Studies Council visit: https://www.field-studies-council.org/