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Yorkshire Wildlife Trust celebrate communities taking action for wildlife

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is celebrating the incredible drive of community groups across Yorkshire to defend and protect their local wildlife, with over 400 sign-ups to #TeamWilder thus far.

Across the county, #TeamWilder groups have planned, restored and planted among their local spaces to make them kinder and greener places for their wildlife; from wildlife-friendly community allotments, to wildflower meadows in collaboration with local Parish Councils, and a local rugby team dedicating 30% of their site to wildlife habitat by 2030.   

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust launched #TeamWilder in April – its most ambitious community engagement programme in its 77-year history. The aim is to empower communities across Yorkshire to be the difference nature needs and help them to take action for wildlife where they live. The response has been incredible, with almost 400 individuals, community groups and educators signing up to take part.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Community Engagement Manager, Jo Rawson said, “We’ve seen a wonderfully diverse range of communities getting involved, carrying out a wide variety of actions to benefit wildlife on their doorsteps. The energy and enthusiasm have been truly inspiring and the benefit to people that #TeamWilder is having is really moving.”

A group of people in the centre of the image are knelt around several wooden boards building a raised border to the right of a blue building

The Friends of Alderman Kneeshaw in Hull facilitated a resident-led project to create a community allotment on the park. Using timber rescued from landfill and soil donated through Hull City Council’s green waste scheme, and employing the services of a local Community Interest Company to support the project, the group encouraged local people to take the lead. This autumn, the group will be taking their action for nature to the next level, engaging local schools, adult care organisations and families from the surrounding area to create pollinator strips around the park.

Debbie, part of the Friends of Alderman Kneeshaw Group, said, “What we’re doing via this project is building community cohesion using gardening and nature-focused activities as our tool. Becoming part of #TeamWilder and having that support from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is enabling us to make nature relevant to the neighbourhood – it’s about making action for nature really simple and accessible to the everyday person.”

A field of wildflowers in the foreground with rugby posts in the background

West Hull Rugby Club involved their community and grounds keepers to draw up plans which show a commitment to dedicating 30% of their site to wildlife habitat by 2030. This change is happening at pace, with a woodland walk being created, the perimeter hedge line left to fill out and now being cut to a more natural, wavy line rather than in hard, straight lines, mowing regimes relaxed around pitch edges, and a large area of long grass and wildflowers being allowed to develop to the rear of the site.

Community involvement has been strong, with a huge number of people turning out to take part in a site litter pick in the spring and a variety of community groups supporting tree planting days.  

Four people - three in blue, one in black - stand centre image with raking tools, having mowed an area by their feet for a meadow.

Molescroft Wildlife Network are a group of residents who have come together to take action to improve green spaces within their local area. Within the last year they have recruited new members, forged new community partnerships and influenced their Local Authority and Parish Council to change the way some amenity green spaces within the Parish are managed. The group have recently created two wildflower meadows in prominent locations in the heart of their village and have liaised with Council teams to implement sustainable management plans so that these areas will now be managed for wildlife in perpetuity.

As a result, the group have recently hosted representatives from neighbouring Parish Councils and community groups who came together to learn from Molescroft Wildlife Network, with a view to replicating similar change in their own localities. A network of Parish Councils across the East Riding who are all committed to taking action for nature is now an exciting prospect for the future!

A group of people stand to the left of a number of raised beds, raking them out carefully.

Welcome to English are a group who support English language learners in Hull, predominantly refugees and asylum seekers. Members of this community expressed a keen interest in gardening, growing food, and learning new skills. They have joined forces with Goodwin Development Trust and worked in partnership to develop a community allotment, building new raised beds to be planted up with food crops they would like to eat as well as crops to act as food plants for wildlife. By involving people from countries including Iran, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Sudan, the collaborative process of researching, planning, building, and planting is creating many opportunities for rewarding cross-cultural exchange, debate and sharing of experiences.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust hold regular #TeamWilder Empowerment Days for anyone wanting to set up their own groups locally. There will be a wide range of inspiring presentations and workshops to help you to get started, from planning your actions with your community, to gardening for wildlife and leading a litter pick. For those groups planning their next steps there will be workshops on finding funding and demonstrations on creating wildflower meadows. Families are very welcome and there will be hands-on activities such as making wildflower seed balls, bird feeders and a beach clean (location dependent). The events free, with a small donation for some activities and booking is essential.

Empowerment Days will recommence in 2024.

Join #TeamWilder today for more information, and to get started helping wildlife in your community!

    Join #TeamWilder here 

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