The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), through its Resilient Heritage programme, has awarded the Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust almost £95,000 to support the Trust’s development and delivery of the Wandle Valley Regional Park. This National Lottery support, along with cash partnership funding of £71,000 from partners and stakeholders, will support the Trust’s growth into a robust, sustainable organisation, capable of attracting investment to enhance public green infrastructure in the Wandle Valley for the benefit of all who live, work and visit here.
The Trust was set up in 2013 by the London boroughs of Wandsworth, Merton, Sutton and Croydon, plus a number of other national and local organisations, all committed to deliver the vision of a new Regional Park for London. Since then, the Trust has secured over £1.6m of investment, and has delivered a number of projects throughout the Wandle Valley, encompassing improvements to parks and nature areas, physical activity and health, and community volunteering.
The Trust’s new strategy will see it recast it as a dynamic, enterprising organisation, which coordinates the resources, organisations and people to realise the collective vision for the Wandle Valley.
HLF and partner funding will support the Trust to:
- Develop a comprehensive five-year sustainable business model
- Form new models of governance and management
- Recruit and train new trustees and board members
- Safeguard the Wandle Valley’s heritage
- Generate income for the Trust, through an asset transfer
- Disseminate learning to a local and pan-London audience
- Deliver a “Wandle Ranger” volunteer programme
- Appoint a full time officer to support its work
- Produce a delivery plan for the Regional Park through a comprehensive consultation process with partners, stakeholders and local communities.
The project will be supported and delivered in partnership with the London Boroughs of Wandsworth, Merton, Sutton and Croydon, National Trust, Wandle Housing, Clarion Housing, Living Wandle Partnership, Environment Agency, the Greater London Authority, Lee Valley Regional Park, IDVerde, Viridor and Wandle Valley volunteers.
Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust CEO, Sue Morgan said:
“This is a real game changer for the Trust. The management, creation and funding of public green space is rapidly changing as London grows and local authority budgets continue to be under pressure. We want to demonstrate that the Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust can offer a viable means to align and coordinate investment to deliver environmental, social and economic benefits. The funding will give us the opportunity to explore innovative ideas and new models of partnership, working to deliver green infrastructure strategically in a sub region.”
Stuart Hobley, Head of Heritage Fund London, said:
“Our Resilience funding is becoming increasingly important to organisations that need a helping hand to deliver their aims/vision. We can’t do our work without the crucial support of National Lottery players and it’s thanks to them that Wandle Valley Regional Park can continue to develop, flourish and be enjoyed by the local community.”
Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust Chair, Nic Durston said,
“This is great news for the Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust, and will really help us to move ahead with our plans for the Regional Park. We are very grateful to the HLF for this financial support and to all our partners for their commitment to the Trust and its work.”
Recruitment for the new officer post and external consultants to support the work will take place in the next few weeks.
For information on the project, Trust and Regional Park please visit our web pages www.wandlevalleypark.co.uk, email us on info@wandlevalleypark.co.uk, and see our strategy document: http://wandlevalleypark.co.uk/strategy.
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Editors Notes
Wandle Valley Regional Park
The Wandle Valley Regional Park is a network of over 40 green spaces, and 12 nature reserves, linked by the riverside Wandle Trail, covering some 900 hectares. It is a strategically important asset for London, which can provide significant environmental benefits, support sustainable economic growth, and build enduring social capital and resilience for its growing communities. The Wandle Valley area encompasses four London Boroughs: Wandsworth, Merton, Sutton and Croydon.
Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust
Set up in 2013, the Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust’s (WVRPT) vision is for the Wandle Valley to be a coherent and vital part of London’s green space network, creating a place, rich in heritage, where people are proud to live, work and play, that contributes to the economic vibrancy of South London.
The Trust is an independent Limited Company and a charity.
It is managed by a board of Trustees made up by the London Boroughs (Wandsworth, Merton, Sutton), statutory agencies (Natural England and Environment Agency), landowners (National Trust and Mitcham Common Conservators), and local community organisations (Wandle Valley Forum and Wandle Trust).
For more information, please contact Chief Executive Sue Morgan at:
sue.morgan@wandlevalleypark.co.uk
T: 07887 992895
Web: www.wandlevalleypark.co.uk
About the Heritage Lottery Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #HLFsupported and #NationalLottery.
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