Hayley attends the DEFRA summer reception
PUBLISHED ON: 9 AUGUST 2024About me
Hi! I’m Hayley, Administration Assistant for the New Forest National Park Authority, working on various projects such as Youth for Climate and Nature (You CAN) and the Species Survival Fund.
This position follows a 12-month internship with the Authority under the New to Nature Scheme, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and organised by Groundworks UK with multiple partners including the Youth Environmental Service (YES) and the Prince’s Trust.
About my day
On Wednesday 31 July, I had the opportunity to travel to London to attend the DEFRA summer reception, to welcome the new Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, The Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP.
As a representative of the New Forest for the National Parks UK (NPUK) Youth Voice, I was offered the chance to attend this event to represent the voice of the younger generation along with my National Park, the New Forest.
The event was held at the Garden Museum in Lambeth, the area in which Mr Reed was council leader, across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament. It is a beautiful place that demonstrates the importance of nature and access to the outdoors by holding free events for adults, children and families to immerse themselves in nature.
The reception involved networking with representatives from a host of organisations such as farmers’ working groups/associations, water companies and DEFRA members. We then heard from the speakers, the first being the Director of the Garden Museum, Christopher Woodward, who spoke about the cultural importance and heritage of the building along with the work the Garden Museum does to connect communities to nature.
It was then that the newly appointed Secretary of State for DEFRA was introduced. Mr Reed spoke of nature’s decline in Britain, from the sewage in our rivers, to the dawn chorus becoming increasingly silenced. He stressed his aim to ‘reset the approach, raise ambition and renew momentum’ of working towards reversing nature’s decline.
Mr Reed has set out five key priorities for DEFRA under the new parliament. These are:
- Cleaning up Britain’s rivers, lakes and seas by restoring relationships with the water industry
- Ending the throw-away society and working towards a zero-waste economy by reusing and recycling resources and creating new jobs and investments while protecting nature
- Supporting farmers to strengthen Britain’s food security and boost rural growth by cutting energy bills for farmers and ending trade deals that undermine environmental and welfare standards
- Speeding up nature recovery by working with civil society, communities and businesses to restore and protect our natural world – on land and in our oceans, at home and internationally
- Speeding up the building of flood defences and drainage systems to keep people and businesses safe while generating jobs in all regions of our country.
Mr Reed also touched on the importance of the outdoors and its benefits for mental and physical health, with DEFRA having a key mission to support and rebuild the NHS and the health of our nation by providing increased access to nature.
He said: ‘Our stunning national parks, local nature reserves and inner-city gardens are important in enabling people to get outside, with more opportunities to come for adults and children alike, including nine new national river walks, three new national forests and increasing responsible access to the countryside.’
Partnership is a big part of working in our National Park, we wouldn’t be able to achieve what we have without the help of organisations, businesses and communities in and around the New Forest. DEFRA supported this in stating that an approach of collaboration is the most important way in working towards reversing nature’s decline, using the expertise of partners is required to shape policy and create regulatory environmental standards that allow us to succeed.
After the speech, it was back to chatting with delegates, and I took the opportunity to introduce myself to Steve Reed MP and say that I was there to represent youth voice and National Parks.
I spoke about our various works to support youth such as the NPUK Youth Voice, a forum that includes young people from all 15 national parks across the UK to discuss increased opportunities for youth. I also told him about the New Forest Youth Board, a Board that I have been involved in the creation of, which will allow young people to have their voices heard and be a part of policy and decision-making across the New Forest.
I’m looking forward to starting as a member of the Youth Board when it first forms in September. Mr Reed seemed excited at the prospect of projecting youth voice along with his love for the New Forest, stating he often holidays in Airbnb’s here.
I mentioned the partnership work that takes place in all national parks, relating to his words of collaborative work, and spoke about Team New Forest, part of the New Forest’s Partnership Plan, which is a collaboration with partners, businesses and communities to achieve good work that secures a future of the New Forest.
I spoke about our recent DEFRA-funded project, the Species Survival Fund, in partnership with a host of organisations including the RSPB and Freshwater Habitats Trust, that aims to connect high-quality habitats within the New Forest SSSI.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to speak to Mr Reed as there were many people also waiting to discuss their work with him. Also, sadly, I noticed that out of around 70 people in the room, I was one of only around five people under 30. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be at this event as a young person and have the opportunity to express all the work we do to raise the voices of the younger generation.
I enjoyed listening to the speeches and meeting new people of a similar ethos. I hope that action occurs to get more young people in the room and involved in the conversation. Thank you to Heather and Mary-Jane at North York Moors National Park for forwarding this invitation, and to Claire Pearce and the team at the New Forest National Park Authority for making the opportunity happen.
