“My vision is of cities that are more green than grey,” says Ellen Miles, who founded Nature is a Human Right to campaign for making the great outdoors accessible to all. With 2.7 million people in the UK not having any green space within accessible walking distance, she has brought together a wide range of campaigners, educators and activists who are all dedicated to giving everyone the opportunity to discover the mental and physical health benefits of spending time in nature.

So, what better way to begin our trail than in one of our cities’ community gardens: St Mary’s Secret Garden in east London, to be exact. For over 25 years, Ellen says this garden has offered an “oasis of colour and community”, helping people with support needs and the local community to learn new skills, connect with others and grow delicious, nutritious crops. “I think the skills we can share and the things we can teach each other through gardening brings us together,” says Ellen. “The best way to connect with nature is to grow a garden and I’ve started growing things this year more than ever before – I’ve found it an amazing way to connect with living things.”

For Ayesha Tan Jones, natural spaces are vital for bringing a sense of unity to our communities – whatever our background, race, gender or sexuality. “The trees themselves have no prejudice,” says Ayesha on our walk through Wick Woodland, “the Earth itself is open and available to everyone, and it’s so important for these spaces to exist in cities.”

As Ayesha notes, woodlands like Wick Woodland offer not only environmental benefits for our cities, but places where everyone can enjoy a moment of personal reflection or connection with others. But with 1,225 of the UK’s ancient woods under threat by new building development in the UK – what can we do to help protect these spaces?

Apart from protecting and championing existing green spaces, we can also help to create new ones – something which is close to Hafsah Hafeji’s heart. As a keen ‘guerrilla gardener’ who enjoys finding any opportunity to bring more greenery to her home city of Leicester, Hafsah shares her gardening skills through her Instagram account, appearances on radio and work with organisations such as Nature is a Human Right and Solidaritree (a network led by women of colour to champion inclusivity in the natural environment).

We met Hafsah at the (rather brilliantly named) tree nursery The Tree Musketeers. The volunteer-run group seeks to plant and care for trees in the capital, working closely with local councils.

Our final stop takes us to The Barbican Wildlife Garden – one of the UK’s many natural hotspots that has been founded to preserve the natural habitats of animals that also call our cities home. Hidden within the labyrinth of the Barbican’s brutalist architecture, this volunteer-run garden has become a home for over 450 species of animals, from stag beetles to golden rod crab spiders.

Organisations like these remind us of how we co-exist with many other creatures in our cities, as Ellen Miles comments: “Nature is literally our natural habitat, and our progress as a species is going to be limited until we recognise that we are part of nature, not masters of it.”

As part of Project Earth – our ongoing commitment to help change the way we shop – we have created a special RESELLFRIDGES edit of pre-loved outdoors wear at our London store (and coming soon here at selfridges.com), along with a range of consciously crafted outdoors accessories. Helping you to both protect and reconnect with nature by closing the loop on waste, these items are ready for enjoying the joys of the natural world. To discover our latest RESELLFRIDGES treasures, just click below.