Now that the Future Parks Accelerator (FPA) Project has come to a close the City of Nature Programme team are now part of Birmingham City Council’s Parks Service Team.
I am continuing the community work started by the FPA project by creating Naturally Birmingham CIC a not for profit company to support the Delivery of Birmingham’s City of Nature Plan.
Deborah / Debbie Needle
Naturally Birmingham Website Editor and Naturally Birmingham CIC Director www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-needle-53399471
I have spent most of my career working at the intersection of nature, communities and public systems, helping people connect with the green spaces around them and supporting the networks that care for them.
My work began with muddy boots in Birmingham’s parks and nature sites, learning land management, conservation and environmental education from the ground up. Over time my roles expanded to include strategic work across the city’s green infrastructure, bridging the physical world of landscapes and wildlife with the digital systems and partnerships that help manage and sustain them.
Along the way I discovered that the most important work often happens between systems – where communities, organisations and public bodies meet.
Through Sylvanus LLP I supported schools, Friends of Parks groups and community organisations to build stronger relationships with local green spaces, while contributing to wider initiatives such as Birmingham’s City of Nature work.
I am particularly interested in how shared experiences of nature can build trust, learning and collaboration, and how cities can create the conditions for people and wildlife to thrive together.
This work is now evolving into a new chapter through Naturally Birmingham CIC, continuing a focus on community-centred nature connection and the long-term stewardship of urban green spaces.
Cities, like ecosystems, evolve through relationships. I enjoy working in the spaces where those relationships can grow.
Naturally Birmingham CIC 