A PROJECT that aims to connect more people in Dudley with nature has been awarded almost £100,000 in funding.

Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust has been awarded £99,605 for Dudley’s Path to Nature Recovery project.

It is among nine environmental projects awarded more than £400,000 from the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Community Environment Fund which was set up using £1 million of Commonwealth Games legacy money to support locally-led green projects that are protecting nature, reducing waste and making communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Dudley’s Path to Nature Recovery project aims to help connect more people in Dudley and Sandwell to nature by creating new walking routes and improving wildlife habitats through the Black Country Geo Park.

Norman Dandy, director of nature recovery for Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, said: “The funding we’ve secured from the WMCA will enable us to champion Dudley’s wildlife, and support our local community to connect with it more strongly.

“We’ll be working with the borough council and other local organisations to restore areas of nature across the town’s hills, from Sedgley Beacon down to the Rowley Hills.

“Walking will be a central part of our work – it’s a fantastic way for people to connect to nature and to discover new areas to visit on their doorsteps.”

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chairperson, added: “There are many community groups and regional organisations doing fantastic work to protect, enhance and restore the natural environment, and it’s great news that we are able to continue to support them with grants from our Community Environment Fund.

“Being able to access nature has such a positive impact on our health and wellbeing, and it is becoming ever more urgent that we take action to rethink waste by repairing and reusing products more, and take practical steps to help communities adapt to the effects of climate change.”

The Community Environment Fund has been made possible thanks to the £70 million Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund – the underspend from the 2022 Games that the Government agreed to reinvest back into the West Midlands to ensure the positive legacy is felt by as many people as possible.

Community groups and regional organisations can still bid for cash from the fund.

To find out how to apply visit www.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/environment/community-environment-fund/.