Gloucestershire's landmark Local Nature Recovery Strategy goes live with school celebration 

The county council marked this milestone moment at Mitton Manor Primary School in Tewkesbury today, where pupils, staff and the cabinet member came together for a special nature-themed event designed to spark excitement and interest in the county’s ambition. 

Council representatives presented the school with a bespoke Valentine’s card and an arrangement of locally grown dried flowers (supplied by Harebell & Bee), symbolising Gloucestershire’s commitment to nurturing a lasting relationship with nature. The gesture emphasises that caring for the natural world is an act of love that benefits every community across the county.  

Pupils also guided guests on a tour of the school’s impressive Rainbow Wood forest school, a thriving outdoor learning space that embodies everything the LNRS hopes to see more of—wilder places, connected habitats, community action and opportunities for children to build lifelong connections with the natural world.  

A county coming together for nature  

Nature across the UK is under extreme pressure. The country is one of the most nature depleted in the world. The interactive online LNRS map, published today on the council’s website at Gloucestershire Local Nature Recovery Strategy | Gloucestershire County Council, shows how we can take action anywhere in the county to help nature recover — from enhancing river corridors and protecting woodlands to improving meadows, wetlands and urban green spaces.   

The 113 potential nature recovery measures in the Strategy include natural flood management, beaver reintroduction, regenerative farming, orchard re-planting, and species-specific measures for bats, warblers, dormice, crayfish, damselflies, rare fungi and dozens more. 

The interactive map provides suggested measures for any location in Gloucestershire. Each suggested measure links through to comprehensive advice notes on what to do and who can help. 

Delivering real change  

The LNRS will provide a vital tool for planners, farmers, landowners, organisations and communities to work together on shared priorities for nature.  

From today all local councils will be required to have regard to Gloucestershire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy in decision and plan making. This means they have to consider the priorities set out in the LNRS when determining how relevant plans contribute to and enhance the local natural environment at a plan-making level. The LNRS and its map become a ‘material consideration' in the planning system today, based on the individual circumstances of the case. 

With a new delivery officer in post and a strong Local Nature Partnership network across the county, Gloucestershire is ready to turn plans into action. Integrating the LNRS into the planning system will ensure growth and development support nature recovery rather than work against it.  

The strategy will help to deliver all the wide-ranging benefits we get from nature: better mental and physical health, cleaner water and air, more sustainable food production, healthier ecosystems with more and richer habitats for wildlife and greater resilience to climate change.  

Cllr Martin Horwood, Cabinet Member for Nature, Climate and Waste Reduction, said: “This launch marks a major turning point for Gloucestershire’s environment. By putting nature recovery at the heart of how we plan, grow and care for our county, we’re taking action that will benefit generations to come. I encourage everyone to explore the strategy and the map online, see what can be done in your area and join us in making Gloucestershire a national leader in restoring the natural world.”  

Phillippa Jones, Head at Mitton Manor Primary School, said: “We’re delighted that Gloucestershire County Council chose our school as the setting for the launch of this ambitious strategy. We’ve long had a forest school here at Mitton Manor and the benefits of nature for our children are clear for all to see. Although Tewkesbury is surrounded by fields, our school sits in the heart of housing. Through dedicating an area to nature, we have nurtured this important space and often see stag beetles, slow worms and all the other wildlife you’d expect.” 

·       To view photos from the launch of the LNRS at Mitton Manor Primary School, please see: LNRS launch at Mitton Manor Primary School | Flickr 

·       To view a video of the launch, go to: 🌿💚 Gloucestershire, will you be our Valentine? 

·       Examples of map graphics are available here: LNRS map graphics examples | Flickr