Shedding light on nature recovery

Designing Dialogue CiC was commissioned by the University of Derby to design and deliver for Derbyshire County Council their public engagement of the first Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Derbyshire and the City of Derby.

The strategy will set out where and how we can improve, enhance and make space for nature in our area. As part of the public consultation phase of the LNRS, Designing Dialogue CiC set out to hear views from local people and communities on the vision and priorities for nature recovery in Derbyshire, nature recovery measures and mechanisms for Local Nature Recovery Strategy implementation.

A two-month programme featuring creative commissions, interventions and ideas generation took place over February and March 2025.

Shedding Light on Nature Recovery

The Civic team and S.H.E.D were commissioned to design and deliver for Derbyshire County Council their public engagement of the first Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Derbyshire and the City of Derby. The strategy will set out where and how we can improve, enhance and make space for nature in our area.

What we did

Our priority was to identify who hadn't been communicated with, and what spaces and places we needed to visit to connect with these people – the often unheard groups who might want to contribute to nature's recovery, but not know about the LNRS and/or take part in the online survey.

The S.H.E.D PODS toured five locations around Derbyshire. Locations were identified in collaboration with Derbyshire County Council, focusing on places that had lower response rates to pre-consultation surveys, and which represented a range of landscape characters, geographical positions within the county, and a wide mix of demographics. Sites included:

• a leisure centre
• public park spaces
• tourist destinations
• a farmer's market
• a local museum

The sites were across village, town and city geographical locales in Derby and Derbyshire - from rural high peaks to an urban inner-city park.

With collaboration with local creatives, young people, community groups, University of Derby's Nature Connectedness Research Group, and the wider LNRS team, Designing Dialogue CIC created opportunities for the public to share their insights and lived experiences and engage in personally meaningful discussions about the LNRS, and encouraging wider engagement with the consultation survey and maps.

Three online sessions were also held - two for the public and one for the core S.H.E.D delivery team with Derbyshire County Council to share feedback and initial reflections.

Our report and the public engagement report can be found on Derbyshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy website.