We’re Hubbub, an environmental charity making sustainability second nature.
We focus where it matters
Nature is good for us, but we’re not making time for it.
4 in 10 of us spend less than an hour a week in nature
The data is clear: spending time in nature makes 8 in 10 of us feel better. Yet, across the UK, nearly 4 in 10 people (37%) spend less than an hour a week in the great outdoors (Hubbub polling 2024).
At the same time, we’re navigating an age of alienation. Loneliness and social isolation are on the rise, and the pattern is shifting dramatically. Young people aged 16 to 29 are now twice as likely to report feeling frequently lonely than those over 70 (Campaign to End Loneliness)
The opportunity
Community gardens are an immediate, accessible fix. Pockets of biodiversity in urban areas that are also social spaces bringing communities together. We know this from our work with over 350 members of Hubbub’s Community Nature Network. These gardens are vital, but as they often rely on volunteers, recruitment is a constant challenge.
It can be hard for people to find them, know how to get involved or even feel that the space is for them, particularly amongst young people.
85% of young people are interested in visiting a community garden. But 35% felt community gardens weren’t ‘for them’, citing a fear of the unknown or feeling unwelcome.
How do we inspire young urban audiences to spend time in their local community garden?
Barriers
Access to nature - people think nature is far away from them, not in cities. 16% of young people cited not knowing where their nearest community garden was as a direct barrier to visiting.
The intimidation factor - For many young people the biggest barrier isn’t interest, it’s fear of the unknown. More than a third (35%) of young people felt community gardens weren’t for them, were worried about not knowing enough about gardening, or found the spaces too ‘cliquey’ or intimidating.
Nature isn't a priority - in busy lives, people don't make time for nature, or struggle to fit in supporting community projects outside of working hours. 23% of people surveyed said simply 'not having time' put them off visiting community gardens.
Motivators
Wellbeing consciousness - our polling found that the issue young people care most about is mental health (23%). And they see the potential of community gardens to support their wellbeing - 57% said benefits to mental health or relaxation would motivate them to visit.
Socialising and meeting new people
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Community is an immediate draw. 55% of young people said they were motivated by the chance to socialise and meet people locally. 65% saw 'bringing the community together’ as a benefit of community gardens.
Throughout Summer 2025 we ran a campaign to encourage people to ‘Take it Outside’. The goal was to reframe community gardens to this audience, as social spaces that offer much more than just gardening.
Our approach used behaviour change principles and paired a digital comms campaign with inperson events and activities at community gardens all across the UK.
Here’s what we did
Creative route
MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE
We tapped directly into our audience’s desire for connection and new experiences offscreen.
We used a lo-fi, hand-made aesthetic mixed with the energy of festival and club night branding to appeal to our 18-34 target.
Supporting the digital campaign we had out of home fly posting in locations close to urban community gardens, as well as flyers and customisable posters that community nature network members could use to advertise their spaces.
Influencer collaborations
We worked with three lifestyle and wellness influencers (Gen Z/Millennial focussed) who specialise in sharing tips for new places and activities to try out, and invited them to events a community gardens.
1.9 million views across social media
25k+ likes, comments, clicks
Interactive community garden map
250 average daily users
MAKE IT EASY
We created the interactive ‘Take it
Outside’ map to immediately remove the "I don't know where to go" barrier. The map listed events and locations for over 400+ community gardens across the UK, searchable by location, activity, and date.
13k+ unique map users
Free events
MAKE IT SOCIAL
We awarded £15,000 in grants to 30 green spaces across the UK to run events, funding everything from workshops to equipment, refreshments, and volunteer expenses. Grants helped groups deliver the full spectrum of community activities that proved the space was about 'more than gardening': Latina festivals, live music, outdoor libraries with hammocks, storytelling, and arts and crafts.
We also ran 2 flagship ‘Nature Lates’ events at community gardens in London offering after hours creative workshops when community gardens are usually closed.
“I’d much
rather be here on a summer evening than sat in a pub” - Event
Attendee
The difference we made
Greater awareness
Increased Willingness
New visitors
Long-term visitors
After seeing the campaign, awareness of community gardens amongst our target audience rose from 81% to 98%
1.9 million views on social media with a 5.4% engagement rate
94% of people surveyed said they were more likely to visit a community garden after seeing the campaign
88% of people that attended events said they felt more positive about community gardens, and 100% said they’d be likely to attend again
3479 people attended events across the funded community gardens
87% of groups reported that their events were attended by people that had not visited the space before
80% of groups saw an increase in interest and participation as a result of the Take it
Outside events
15 people became regular, long-term volunteers as a result of attending one of the 30 funded events
The social payoff
Beyond the core goal of driving visits, this campaign created immediate, measurable social and wellbeing benefits, which were reported to us by community gardens across our network. The types of complementary benefits include…
Improved wellbeing
88% of people surveyed reported improved wellbeing after visiting a nature hub. For many, spending time outdoors was the solution, not gardening itself.
Reduced isolation
Community connection
Events gave people a simple, structured reason to visit the garden, effectively overcoming the hurdle of just ‘dropping in’.
Gardens are essential platforms for diversity.
Events like the Latino festival, showed how community gardens are creating space for different cultures and backgrounds to come together.
“R, had moved to the area over a year ago, leaving her family behind. Coming along to the event meant she got to meet us all in person, see the space. She’s now a regular and has attended some of our other activities. Currently helping us to plan our event in October. She says
'taking the chance to come to the summer fayre has made my life much happier, I feel I have a nice place to come, to grow and cook some meals and make lots of new friends’” Wild and Fruity Community Garden
We had a fantastic day [and] got thoroughly involved in making cyanotypes (I had never heard of them) and enjoyed the fantastic storyteller. We didn’t know this community garden existed but now we do we will be signing up for our own garden patch!”
Wild Read Festival attendee “Many neighbours told us they’d always associated the garden with ‘hard-graft’ gardening. Wild Read [Festival] reframed the space: hammocks, story times and crafts showed it’s not all about digging—there are many other ways to enjoy a community garden.” Wheatland Road Gardens, Crane Collective
