80 Years of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

From the smallest acorn to a proud oak tree...

When the chocolatiers and naturalists Sir Francis Terry and Arnold Rowntree founded Yorkshire Naturalists’ Trust in 1946 to look after Askham Bog nature reserve in York, they laid a legacy for Yorkshire’s wildlife.

Over the last 80 years, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has flourished too: from a tiny office in the Yorkshire Museum to nearly 200 staff today. Supported by over a thousand volunteers and 44,000 members, the Trust’s work ranges from nature reserves to peatland restoration and marine monitoring, and from helping urban communities looking to take action locally to providing incredible wildlife experiences for thousands of visitors.

The need for action to save, protect and restore wildlife has never been so urgent. Nearly 1 in 5 species in Yorkshire have declined by more than 25% in the last 30 years, including species like swifts, willow tits, red squirrels, and water voles. These struggles reflect the crisis happening for nature across the UK, and warn of a future where we could lose the wildlife that makes Yorkshire special.

As a Trust, we continue to campaign and hold power to account in decisions that affect our wild places, which are important for people as well as for wildlife. From lobbying and meeting with politicians at a regional and national level, to planning proposals that could damage our wild places irrevocably, we will make sure our wildlife’s voice is heard.

We are proud to have nurtured our wildlife, wild places, and wilder people. Increasingly, environmental concerns and a movement for change are taking centre stage, and we are honoured to be involved in shepherding the future of Yorkshire’s green journey.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s green roots

We’ve achieved a lot over the last 80 years – and none of it would have been possible without the help of our members!