Warrington-based charity celebrates 10 years since launch

Green Angels, a Land Trust’s free environmental training programme, has hit a very significant milestone of ten years since first launching in 2014.

The bespoke environmental training model has certainly proved to be extremely successful, resourceful and hugely beneficial since its inception as a Big Lottery funded project.

Green Angels began at Liverpool Festival Gardens, where the Land Trust was managing the site on an interim agreement. 

The charity provides environmental training programmes (Image: Supplied)
Big Lottery awarded the Land Trust £138,934 for a two-year pilot project which welcomed people of all ages and abilities to engage in training related to the management and maintenance of their local greenspaces. 

The initial aim of activities was to improve community cohesion, the environment and develop the skills, confidence and experience of participants, helping them to progress to further education or employment opportunities.

By the end of 2023, the Green Angels team and trainers had delivered Green Angels programmes at 12 Land Trust sites across the country, from Yorkshire to Kent and the Wirral to Essex. 

Overall, the Green Angels programme of courses has engaged with over 1470 participants, which equates to over £10m cost savings and over £14m GVA in terms of Social Value.

It provides survival skills training too (Image: Supplied)
The charity is an enduring and sustainable programme of community benefit and improvement. 

Delivery through the Land Trust is great for flexibility as they own and manage over 85 plus sites across the UK and can tap into the expertise of their managing partners like The Conservation Volunteers, The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, to name a few – using the sites as a learning resource and tailoring the activities and outcomes to the needs of local people and wildlife.

Using professionals in their field to deliver the training courses gives participants easy access to information sharing, networking, signposting to new opportunities and inspirational guidance, as well as providing an excellent level of tuition.

The training delivered has evolved and adapted to meet the changing demands of our times. 

The programmes are delivered in Warrington and other areas of the UK (Image: Supplied)
Green Angels started off by offering more traditional subjects, such as countryside management and horticulture. 

But as it has grown in recent years, it now runs courses in natural wellbeing, wild yoga and natural crafts, which help people to connect with their surroundings in a more profound and life changing way.   

Feedback data from the activities in 2023 showed that 97 per cent of participants learned new skills, 66 per cent improved their career prospects, 76 per cent felt more connected with nature, and 87 per cent of participants felt that Green Angels brought people together and encouraged a more caring approach to the environment.

Now into 2024, the team are launching Green Angels programmes at six new sites this year, increasing engagement on a couple of the Land Trust’s more remote spaces. 

Alongside this, they are also launching a very significant innovation for the charity to celebrate its second decade:  The Green Angels Portal.

The Green Angels Portal will streamline the way the team welcome, engage and work with course participants. 

There will be an educational resources area where trainees can access information on environmental subjects of interest, as well as being able to book onto courses, leave feedback and view course schedules and certificates. 

There will also be the opportunity to contact and work with trainers.  The new Green Angels Portal can be found here: greenangels.thelandtrust.org.uk/