Nature SMILES Project Progress

Our Nature SMILES

MAV UK is pleased with the progress made in our Nature SMILES project. The engagement from young people and their families has been encouraging.

We are at the halfway stage of the project. Our young people have come from local schools, including Trinity and Chorlton High School in Manchester. We have also included community groups who regularly use or hire Hulme Centre. The project has collaborated with Neighbours Who Grow CIC, a newly formed CIC that helped deliver our Nature SMILES garden lawn area at Hulme Centre. Young people used their own creative skills, with the help of AI, to generate designs that would make our outside area more welcoming. It was also agreed that the outside area, including part of the lawn, would be a tribute to our founder, Patsy McKie, who passed away a few months before the project started.

A National Lottery Funded Project

The last six months of the project have not only focused on children and young people but have also allowed parents and grandparents to become involved. We have encouraged the development of their own outside areas, including gardens, balconies and communal outdoor spaces. The Nature SMILES project provided free soil, plants, seeds and hanging flower beds to help young people and their families spend more time outdoors and improve their natural environment. It was important that MAV UK set an example. As part of the renovation of Hulme Centre’s toilets and entrance area, we ensured that our outside areas were made more accessible, creating space for nature to thrive. Nature SMILES has helped our community come together and enjoy the outdoor space. The sunny weather experienced in May, June and July across the UK made it easier to engage local people with the project.

Nature SMILES - Community Project

Our young people have been able to evidence that the Nature SMILES project has helped lower stress levels by supporting relaxation, emotional regulation and positive routines. This is consistent with wider UK evidence showing that access to green and blue spaces is linked with improved mental wellbeing, partly because these spaces create opportunities to exercise, socialise, notice nature and recover from everyday pressures. Research and national guidance also show that children and young people can benefit from time in nature through improved confidence, teamwork, attention, self-regulation and social skills. Being outdoors developing our green space, while enjoying nearby blue spaces, has helped reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms linked to school exams and has increased feelings of calm, confidence and happiness. Even small interactions, such as planting seeds, watering plants and noticing daily growth, can be beneficial because they give young people a sense of responsibility, achievement and connection with the natural world.

Improved outside Space

Nature SMILES is also encouraging physical activity, which supports mental health by helping young people move more, build healthier routines and release endorphins that can improve mood and sleep. Exposure to natural light and fresh air can support wider health by encouraging outdoor movement, reducing time indoors and giving families safe reasons to spend time together outside. The project also reflects the principles of green social prescribing, which is recognised by NHS England as a way of supporting people to take part in nature-based activities such as community gardening, walking groups, conservation projects and outdoor arts to improve mental and physical health. Evidence from green social prescribing programmes shows that nature-based activities can improve wellbeing, reduce loneliness and strengthen community connection. For MAV UK, this has been especially important because the project has brought children, parents, grandparents, schools and local community partners together around a shared purpose.

The improvements at Hulme Centre also matter because research increasingly shows that the quality and diversity of nature can influence wellbeing. Spaces with trees, plants, birds, flowers and water can provide stronger wellbeing benefits than plain or poorly maintained outdoor areas. This supports our decision to make the Nature SMILES garden more welcoming, accessible and meaningful. By creating a tribute to Patsy McKie within the outdoor area, the project has combined environmental improvement with remembrance, community pride and emotional connection. This has helped young people understand that green spaces are not only about plants and soil; they are also about identity, belonging, memory and care for one another.

MAV UK SMILES Project worked with Local Artist, paying tribute to our late Founder Patsy McKie

As we start the summer holiday period, we will be taking trips outdoors using public transport. This will include a day trip to London to explore the capital and encourage young people to experience wider green, cultural and public spaces beyond their local area. We will also deliver Nature SMILES gardening workshops, helping young people and families build practical gardening skills such as planting, watering, caring for flowers, growing food, designing small outdoor areas and using balconies or communal spaces creatively. These activities will continue to support confidence, independence, cooperation and emotional wellbeing. They will also help families make better use of their own outdoor spaces and encourage young people to see nature as something they can protect, enjoy and shape for the benefit of the wider community.