Starbucks UK and Hubbub are funding 100 green spaces for communities across the UK 


Together with environmental charity Hubbub, Starbucks UK has funded 100 new community green spaces across the UK – with an average distance of 2km from a Starbucks store – to help provide local communities with access to nature.

Totaling £600,000, the Nature Hubs Fund as it has been dubbed by charity partner Hubbub, has funded a plethora of different outdoor projects including new gardens that grow food for the local community, outdoor theatres, yoga studios and areas for music performances to help residents connect, and converting unused, dilapidated buildings like farmhouses and old supermarkets into new outdoor social spaces. 

As well as providing initial funding, Starbucks stores across the UK are further supporting the green projects local to them through initiatives such as donating used coffee grounds to help create healthy compost, as well as encouraging partners (employees) to volunteer to give back to their local community. Each Nature Hub is publicly accessible and within, on average, 2km* of a partner Starbucks store, where activities will be promoted for customers, partners, and the local community. 

In 2024, a survey conducted by the environmental charity Hubbub revealed a striking truth - 81% of individuals experience a significant improvement in wellbeing by spending time in nature, yet more than a third of people (33%) in the UK currently spend less than an hour a week in nature. 

But don’t just take our word for it – a number of communities have already benefited from The Nature Hubs Fund. May Project Gardens is a London-based permaculture garden connecting people to nature for personal, social and economic transformation. “I’ve experienced the healing effects nature can have and connecting with nature has really improved my mental wellbeing,” says Ian Soloman-Kawall, the Hub’s CEO. “You see in people’s faces that they enjoy interacting with nature. People say our space is magical and they’re so glad they found it – it’s great that Derby has something like this,” adds Pascale Holden, a volunteer at Derby community garden Electric Daisy. 

May Project Gardens, London

Electric Daisy, Derby

The Nature Hubs Fund is a continuation of the work that Starbucks and Hubbub have developed through their six-year partnership. In May, long standing charity partners of Starbucks, Hubbub and NHS Charities Together, announced the next round of The Greener Communities Fund, which develops green spaces in hospital grounds to help improve the physical and mental health of NHS patients, staff and communities that live nearby.  

“Since the beginning, Starbucks has been about more than coffee. Everyday across the globe, our partners support the communities in our stores and the neighbourhoods we are a part of,” says Alex Rayner, General Manager at Starbucks UK.  

“Starbucks UK Nature Hubs marks a new milestone in our aim to contribute positively to every community we serve, helping to transform local areas into vibrant green spaces that bring people together in nature. I am grateful to our partners for bringing them to life and can’t wait to see the joy and benefits they bring to our communities.” 

Gavin Ellis, Director & Co-founder at Hubbub added: “Access to safe and inclusive green spaces, particularly in urban areas, is so critical to our mental, physical and social wellbeing. Improving the green spaces in our towns and cities also helps to improve biodiversity, cool our streets and provide fantastic opportunities to grow fresh produce. The Nature Hubs initiative is designed to make these natural spaces - and the many wonderful ways to engage in environmental activities within them - much more accessible for everyone. 

“We received so many incredible applications from community groups and are really excited to work with all our new Nature Hubs partners to see the impact that these varied and ambitious plans will have on local communities.”