A FOUR-YEAR million-pound project to get more people in Plymouth using the city's parks has been launched.

Plymouth City Council is spearheading the Stepping Stones To Nature project, which intends to raise the profile of the green spaces within the city boundary.

The scheme was launched yesterday at Trefusis Park in Lipson after the council received a £500,000 grant from Natural England's Access to Nature programme, which uses Big Lottery Fund cash.

But the grant is just the start of funding for the four-year project which will eventually see more than £1m pumped into its coffers.

A total of 10 organisations in and around Plymouth are involved – and the money will be used to promote the parks and green spaces, as well as paying for improvements to them.

The project plans to target people "who do not normally think of the parks and nature reserves on their doorsteps for enjoyment, entertainment and health".

Cabinet member for street scene, waste and sustainability Michael Leaves said: "Plymouth is surrounded by moors and rolling countryside, but for every dog walker and rambler who heads off to the moors, there are thousands who do not use or even think about the natural environment around them.

"Stepping Stones to Nature aims to change these statistics by promoting Plymouth's many fabulous, but unsung, green spaces as a first step on a journey to experiencing the wide-ranging benefits of getting out there."

Cllr Leaves said the council is on "restricted budgets now" but it will "keep tapping" into sources for funding for worthwhile projects like this one.

Plymouth has 18 per cent of the South West's most deprived wards, fewer than 40 per cent of its adults exercise once a week and 15 per cent of its children are obese.

But about 33 per cent of the city is green space. Plymouth has more than 225 green spaces ranging from the Hoe to places like the Bircham Valley Nature Reserve.

Its 28 parks cover more than 950 hectares. It also has 32 allotment sites with more than 1,000 tenants and nearly 150 playgrounds.

The council and other organisations put in a bid for project funding in December and the cash was awarded in May. Two members of staff are being recruited by the council to head the project team.

Alistair Macpherson, environmental planning co-ordinator at the council, said the idea of 'stepping stones' was all about encouraging people to take small steps outdoors.

He said it was about getting people from the sofa on to a green space, then on to a nature reserve, then a National Trust property and maybe finally on to a tor – hence the involvement of the Dartmoor National Park Authority.

Mr Macpherson said: "I think it will make a big difference. It's a new approach."

He said it was about "changing perception". He also said a "big green space festival" was being planned for 2012 in Plymouth's parks.