Love Your Countryside
The countryside around us is more than just a view—it’s where nature thrives, communities connect, and wellbeing grows. Yet across Oxfordshire, many people are becoming increasingly disconnected from the landscapes on their doorstep, while vital habitats continue to decline.
Love Your Countryside is CPRE Oxfordshire’s response: a community-led project to restore nature, reconnect people with place, and inspire long-term care for the countryside we all depend on.
Why this project matters
Access to nature is essential for healthy, resilient communities. Time spent in green spaces is proven to support mental and physical wellbeing, reduce social isolation, and strengthen a sense of belonging.
At the same time, nature itself is under pressure. The UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s, with many remaining sites fragmented, neglected or at risk.
Love Your Countryside brings these challenges together—helping to restore biodiversity while ensuring more people can experience, value and care for their local environment.
What we’re doing
Through this project, CPRE Oxfordshire will work with communities across Oxford’s Green Belt to restore neglected meadow habitats and create meaningful opportunities for people to engage with nature.
Together, we will:
- Restore meadow habitats in peri-urban areas, improving biodiversity and strengthening ecological networks
- Reconnect communities with nature, increasing access to green spaces and encouraging active outdoor participation
- Improve wellbeing by creating welcoming, shared spaces that reduce isolation and support healthier lifestyles
- Provide practical training in conservation, habitat management and ecological surveying
- Empower long-term stewardship, giving communities the skills and confidence to care for local green spaces
This is about more than habitat restoration—it’s about building lasting relationships between people and the places around them.
Skills, knowledge and hands-on action
Participants will have the opportunity to take part in practical, guided activities led by experienced professionals, including:
- Meadow restoration and habitat management
- Traditional techniques such as scything
- Ecological surveying and monitoring
- First Aid and field-based training
These sessions will equip people with valuable, transferable skills while deepening their understanding of local wildlife and landscapes.
Growing a “Mini Meadows” movement
A key part of the project is inspiring a grassroots Mini Meadows movement across Oxfordshire.
By supporting individuals, schools and community groups to create small-scale wildlife-friendly spaces—whether in gardens, shared areas or community land—we can extend the benefits of the project far beyond the initial sites.
These Mini Meadows will help pollinators and other wildlife flourish, while giving more people the chance to play an active role in nature recovery.
A lasting legacy
As CPRE celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026, Love Your Countryside is designed to leave a lasting legacy.
By empowering communities to take ownership of their local environment, we are helping to ensure that Oxfordshire’s countryside is not only protected, but actively cared for and celebrated for generations to come.
Get involved
Whether you want to learn new skills, meet like-minded people, or make a positive difference for nature, there are many ways to get involved in Love Your Countryside.
We’ll be sharing opportunities to participate, volunteer and support the project throughout the year. If you’re interested to find out more, email administrator@cpreoxon.org.uk
Together, we can restore nature, strengthen communities, and help more people truly love their countryside.