Our Natural Blue Spaces is a project dedicated to exploring and celebrating the beauty of Blue Spaces—rivers, lakes, canals, and ponds—within the Central Bedfordshire area, through a blend of art, workshops and community engagement.

This project was funded by Central Bedfordshire Council, supported by the Culture and Engagement team. We have partnered with the Canals and River Trust, The Greensand Trust, the Central Bedfordshire Countryside Team and The Wildlife Trust to work with four schools and families within Central Bedfordshire to explore a Natural Blue Space near each school. The schools are: Edward Peake Middle School in Biggleswade, Southcott Lower School in Linslade, Parkfields Middle School in Toddington and Thornhill Primary School in Houghton Regis.

We worked with the schools and artist Kremena Dimitrova to develop illustrated maps of their local Blue Spaces: River Ivel, Great Union Canal, Rushmere Park and River Lea. The school children engaged with the project through creative workshops, sketch-up walks, recording their natural findings and creating a Charter for the Blue Spaces. The Charter was designed to help local people protect and enjoy their Natural Blue Spaces and the maps are now in place!

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If you want to take a closer look at the maps and the Charter, you can download them here:

• Southcott Lower School map
• Parkfields Middle School map
• Thornhill Primary School map
• Edward Peake Middle School map
• The Charter

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