About Natural Kendal
Connecting individuals, communities and organisations to make a difference for nature and people in Kendal.
Spending time in nature, either as a leisure activity or as part of day to day life, is proven to benefit our mental and physical health.
Nature also cleans the air we breathe, allows us to grow and produce healthy food, provides us with the water we drink, helps to manage flooding, reduce the impact of climate change and supports our local economy.
However, the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries on earth with one in six species at risk of extinction. But there is a national plan to help reverse this trend.
Currently, there are 48 areas in England with a Local Nature Recovery Strategy in place. Each one aims to reverse biodiversity loss in their specific area by creating bigger, better and more connected places for nature. Cumbria, with it’s own Local Nature Recovery Strategy, is part of this bigger national plan. Here in Kendal we can help nature recover and contribute to the wider national plan.
Natural Kendal is a network of local voluntary groups, organisations and individuals who want to support nature recovery in our town. By working together, we can:
- Build awareness of the social, environmental and economic benefits of nature
- Protect areas already serving nature well
- Reconnect our natural habitats with the landscape and life beyond – via protected nature corridors and wildlife stepping stones
- Restore and enhance our green spaces
- Create a network of nature-friendly gardens
- Celebrate nature! With a programme of on-line and off-line events
On this website you can learn about what our Partners are doing and discover all the amazing events taking place in Kendal.
Natural Kendal Projects
Some areas of Kendal offer significant opportunities to create better, more connected habitats for wildlife. Find out more about these key areas here, and watch this space for more information soon…
How can you get involved with Natural Kendal?
As a volunteer-run organisation we are always looking for partnerships as well as eager and willing volunteers to join us in our mission to create a difference for nature and people in Kendal and the wider Westmorland area.
So what might nature recovery look like in Kendal?
Imagine strolling along the River Kent, with its crystal-clean water flowing gently through the town. The banks are lined with lush vegetation, such as grasses, reeds, and trees. There’s no sign of erosion, and you can easily observe the abundant wildlife – mammals, birds, insects, and various aquatic creatures. The water we see is clean and free from pollution, and the banks appear natural with a mix of structures rather than being all hard landscaping and barriers.
As you reach the town centre, nature doesn’t stop at the river; it starts buzzing, flying, and fluttering into the town itself through streets adorned with seasonal flowers, shrubs, and nature-friendly landscaping.
Our many parks and gardens, nurtured and loved by us all, provide urban-based habitats, shelter and food for all manner of species and create a series of essential stepping stones for wildlife. Nature can move freely through the town into Kendal’s nature corridors and the wider landscape beyond.
These corridors are a lifeline for nature and also offer us access to these natural spaces for our own health and well-being. Our community thrives through our connection with nature and these special places
Planning permission, local council and Natural Kendal
In Kendal, as well as other towns and villages in South Lakeland, there is a genuine need for more affordable homes to be built. Our town is under pressure to provide new greenfield land for such projects. However, some of the proposed new development sites could have an impact upon important nature corridors that are currently serving nature well.
NK will work with our local councils to protect nature corridors and green spaces where there is pressure to build on them. We are not arguing for no development, rather for prioritising spaces that have already been built on or are brownfield sites. Natural Kendal will try to respond to developers’ ideas as they come forward and will seek to collaborate with developers to ensure any new developments have a positive impact on biodiversity, particularly where we believe a site is significant to our natural nature corridors.
NK are also working with the relevant departments on statutory Local Plans as well as contributing to the local consultation on Design Codes.
If you would like to help NK protect our green spaces for nature, please keep an eye out for any campaigns we launch and participate in the important local consultation process.