bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces

Visit bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces and get involved by making space for nature

What is happening this Summer?• 15 Springwatch flagship events took place across UK on 3 & 4 June which over 220,000 people attended giving them a taste for transforming a space and the importance of wildlife close to home.

• Hundreds of linked partner events for people to visit to get inspired or take action, listed on Breathing Places website.

• Free Breathing Places booklet explaining how to createyour own Breathing Place. Available online as pdf, at events, BBC centres and all UK libraries.

• Launch of the Big Lottery Fund Breathing Places grantsprogramme with awards of up to £10,000 for constitutedgroups. More information at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk or by calling 0845 367 0610 (textphone 0845 602 1659)

What is Breathing Places?A new BBC campaign with a simple purpose: to inspire people to create and care for green places where they live. Over the next three years, the BBC, with the UK’s leading wildlife organisations, is aiming to transform thousands of places across the UK.

A Breathing Place can be:- a space that people care for, for the benefit of wildlife andpeople- anything from an established nature reserve to a small green space cared for by a community group (e.g. school gardens, workplace grounds, roadsides.

A Breathing Place must:- inspire people to get involved in long-term place transformation or involve hands-on participation by the public- be free of charge for volunteers to take part in or be run ona cost recovery basis.

Forthcoming BBC Programmes• Watch out for Autumnwatch and Nature’s Calendar on BBC2 this Autumn, and for the return of Springwatch, 2007.• Linked coverage on BBC Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and on regional TV and local radio across England. • Lots more linked programming planned on BBC1 and BBC2 in 2008.

This Autumn• Launch of two special projects to inspire schools andcommunity groups to get involved in the campaign.•Mass seed-gathering initiative from October, inpartnership with The Tree Council, Woodland Trust and others.Supported by Autumnwatch on BBC2.•More grants from the Big Lottery Fund available from October for New Breathing Places

Partnerships • A central BBC team, with 13 regional teams across the UK.• A UK-wide stakeholder group of over 70 organisationsfrom the conservation sector for consultation, advice, information sharing and action. • 13 regional stakeholder groups, led by the BBC’s regional project managers• Strategic partnership with The Reading Agency and thepublic library sector to provide information hubs in communities.

Support and guidance from English Nature, Scottish NaturalHeritage, Countryside Council for Wales, and Environment andHeritage Service Northern Ireland

How To Get Involved as a Partner• Sign a simple Letter of Agreement. • Register your places and events with us using thespreadsheets provided. These are publicised on the Breathing Places searchable online database• Download the campaign branding/resources to use• Apply for Lottery funding to maintain/develop your place

How the Public can get Involved• Search the website for places to visit in their area• Visit a Breathing Place to get inspired• Volunteer at existing Breathing Places• Start up their own Breathing Places• Sign up for the Breathing Places public newsletter by visiting bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces

To find out more:• Contact your regional learning project manager • Email breathingplaces@bbc.co.uk• Sign up for the Breathing Places partner newsletter