What Families Told Us
As part of the development of Meithrin Natur - Nature Nurture, we wanted families to help shape what comes next.
Our wider community survey received an incredible 168 responses, giving us a much clearer picture of how families currently connect with nature, what can make that difficult, and the types of activities and support that would help them spend more time outdoors together.
The results showed a real appetite for accessible, family-friendly nature experiences. Families told us they would particularly value activities in local parks, woodland and community gardens, with Forest School, family nature play, gardening, wildlife activities, nature crafts and sensory experiences all proving popular.
But families also told us about the things that can get in the way. Poor weather, not knowing what is available, lack of time, cost and a lack of suitable family activities were among the barriers identified. Almost half of respondents also told us their family had at least one additional support need.
Flexibility and affordability came through strongly. 86.9% said free activities would help them take part, while families also highlighted the value of flexible attendance and smaller groups. An amazing 88.7% said they would use a free Nature Pack, helping families continue exploring, playing and connecting with nature beyond organised sessions.
We also carried out a separate BSL-accessible consultation with Deaf families, helping us understand some of the specific barriers they may experience and ensuring accessibility is considered from the beginning rather than added later.
Perhaps most encouragingly, 85.7% of families wanted to hear about future nature opportunities.
These findings, alongside everything we learned through our Summer Pilot sessions, are helping us shape the next stage of Meithrin Natur around what families have actually told us they need.
Thank you to every family who took the time to have their say. Your voices are helping us grow Meithrin Natur. 🌱
From Your Feedback to Our Future Plans
We didn’t just collect your responses and put them in a report. What families told us has directly influenced how Meithrin Natur – Nature Nurture is developing.
Your feedback, alongside learning from our Pilot sessions, helped us think carefully about the different ways families might want to connect with nature. Not every family will feel ready to head straight into a woodland or Forest School setting, while others may already be confident outdoor explorers.
That’s why our plans include flexible pathways through the partnership, with opportunities ranging from familiar indoor and community settings to gardens, parks, growing spaces and woodland experiences. Families will be able to find the routes that work for them and, where they want to, build their confidence to explore further.
The visuals below show how the evidence gathered through our family consultation and Pilot programme has directly informed the development of Meithrin Natur and our plans for the next stage of the project.
