The Big Lottery Fund has awarded £4.5m to grassroots organisations nationwide to create more green spaces for community enjoyment.

The BBC-led Breathing Spaces campaign – driven by the television series Autumnwatch and Springwatch featuring Bill Oddie – will support 593 groups in their efforts to create natural spaces bursting with wildlife for the benefit of local communities.

Bankside Open Spaces Trust will reclaim a local park in Southwark, London, to create a natural haven for the urban community, while in Oxford a disused site will be transformed into a community garden with an orchard and recycling areas.

A disused quarry in West Kilbride will also become a breathing space – one of 34 projects in Scotland to benefit from a £256,188 grant from the Fund.

In Wales, 37 projects will share £285,000, while in Northern Ireland £218,119 will be used to fund 26 local breathing space projects.

Chair of the Breathing Places committee, Albert Tucker, said: “This exciting initiative has struck a chord with so many people up and down the country. It’s fantastic to see Lottery funding reaching out to so many communities – some projects will transform concrete jungles into vibrant breathing places, while others will make a local patch special in its own way.”