A project that aims to promote greener living to young people in North Yorkshire has been handed funding to help more schoolchildren connect with nature. 

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has received £48,250 to help 550 young people aged 7-18 to visit the National Park and aims to work with those living in some of the most under-served communities in the UK and schools with a pupil premium of 30 per cent or more.

Through the Generation Green 2 project, young people connect with nature through residential stays, evenings under the stars, farm visits, and day visits to explore the National Park at sites such as Malham, Grinton, and Grassington.

A year 4 pupil from Hillcrest Academy in Leeds with a donkey at Gam Farm, GrassingtonA year 4 pupil from Hillcrest Academy in Leeds with a donkey at Gam Farm, Grassington (Image: Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority) Over 300 children have already taken part in these activities, with many coming from schools and community groups in urban areas outside of the National Park including Colne, Leeds, Bradford and Darlington.

Last month, 60 Year 4 pupils from Hillcrest Academy in Leeds visited Gam Farm in Grassington, where they talked to a farmer on wool production, and got up close and personal with pigs, goats and donkeys.

So far, eighty 7–18-year-olds from a wide range of different community groups have had residential trips to sites like Grinton and Grassington where the National Park Authority’s Learning and Engagement team created an environment in which the groups have been able to socialise, relax and unwind and appreciate time spent in nature.

Year 4 pupils from Hillcrest Academy in Leeds feeding goats at Gam Farm, GrassingtonYear 4 pupils from Hillcrest Academy in Leeds feeding goats at Gam Farm, Grassington (Image: Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority) Derek Twine, Chair of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said: “In the first phase of Generation Green we were able to support visits for 1,126 young people and establish the ‘Up Skill, Down Dale’ youth volunteering scheme which, now in its fourth year, has since helped nine young people secure jobs in the green sector.

“The fund now gives even more young people - who wouldn’t otherwise visit the National Park - the opportunity to spend time here and connect with nature, to explore what they find and learn how to conserve it; it also allows them to feel the joy and wellbeing benefits of simply spending time in this special place.

"All these experiences are deepened by the overnight stay this funding enables us to offer, building skills and confidence in a new generation to encourage them to return to and care for the National Park in the future."