The Culture & Nature Champions Pilot was a targeted, place-based capacity-building programme designed to strengthen collaboration between the cultural and environmental sectors in Wigan, supporting delivery of local climate, nature recovery and wellbeing priorities.

Delivered between March – June 2025, the pilot invested in people, partnerships and skills — bringing together artists, cultural practitioners, environmental organisations, council teams and health professionals to build shared understanding, develop skills and seed future collaborative activity aligned with Wigan’s climate and place agendas.

Gee Collins created this Illustration for CVAN NW in 2025 to mark the achievements and findings from the pilot project.

The Culture & Nature Champions Pilot strengthened Wigan’s capacity to deliver inclusive, place-based climate and nature action by embedding creative practice within environmental work and establishing a sustainable cross-sector network aligned with local authority priorities.

Rather than funding isolated activity, the pilot focused on enabling sectors that typically operate separately to collaborate more effectively, reduce duplication and increase the reach and impact of existing environmental and health programmes.