Your AGM & Members' Day 2026

Fly agaric, Amanita muscaria, in woodland, October - Dawn Monrose

Exclusive Members' Event

Saturday 3rd October 2026

You are warmly invited to join us as we celebrate 80 years of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

We’ve put together a packed programme of activities to celebrate this special anniversary, including guided walks around our founding reserve, Askham Bog, and talks from special guest speakers. Come and meet your fellow members and the YWT team, browse our stalls, take part in some games and then join us for our inaugural Wildlife Hero Awards. The awards will celebrate the inspiring individuals, community groups, schools and businesses whose passion and dedication are helping wildlife thrive across Yorkshire.

Come and help us recognise these local champions, hear their stories and be inspired by the difference we can all make for nature.

Secure your place

#programme

Discover the programme...

9:30am	Arrival and registration with complimentary tea and coffee
10:00am	A warm welcome from Nick Perks, Chair of Trustees and Rachael Bice, Chief Executive
10:30am	Keynote address with Dr. William Bird (followed by Q&A)
11:30am	Annual General Meeting, including an overview of our best moments from 2025/26
12:00pm	Members Q&A session - this is your chance to ask our leadership team anything!
12:30pm	Buffet lunch
2:00pm	Choose from either: The Wildlife Hero Awards with Wildlife Trusts CEO Craig Bennett or A guided tour of Askham Bog
3:30pm	Meet the Heroes: A drinks reception with 80th birthday cake
4.00pm	Thanks & final remarks, Rachael Bice, Chief Executive

Craig Bennett standing in front of a hedge

Our Special Guests

Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts

We’re delighted to be joined this year by campaigner, writer, broadcaster, and Wildlife Trusts CEO Craig Bennett, who will share his ambitious vision for The Wildlife Trusts, including an exclusive insight into our next big campaign - Fix Nature - which will see us move further and faster for nature’s recovery than ever before. Described by The Guardian as “the very model of a modern eco general”, Craig is sure to leave you feeling truly inspired.

Dr. William Bird

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. William Bird to as our keynote speaker this year. Dr. Bird is a practicing GP and public health specialist who has spent 30 years championing the vital connection between nature and human health. Founder of Green Gyms, Health Walks and Intelligent Health, Dr. Bird has helped millions of people become more active and connected to their local environment. In this exclusive talk, he’ll share his inspiring vision for how fixing nature can help fix our health, and reveal what we can all do to create health rather than simply prevent disease.

Celebrating Yorkshire's Wildlife Heroes

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has been working for the benefit of nature in Yorkshire for 80 years, but we certainly haven't been working alone. Our achievements have only been possible thanks to the support of passionate, driven and knowledgeable individuals, businesses and communities who do their bit to help wildlife thrive.

To mark our 80th anniversary, we want to celebrate them.

The Wildlife Hero Awards have been created to honour the people, groups and organisations whose passion and commitment are helping wildlife flourish across Yorkshire. Every day, incredible Yorkshire folk are taking action for nature — restoring habitats, inspiring others, and proving that collective effort can create real change.

In our special ceremony, we’ll bring together the shortlisted nominees from the hundreds of public submissions we received to celebrate their achievements, thank them for their dedication and share their inspiring stories of standing up and making a positive difference for Yorkshire’s wildlife.

Discover Askham Bog on a Guided Walk

This precious surviving remnant of Yorkshire's ancient peatland is the birthplace of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and holds a special place in the hearts of our members and our organisation. Home to centuries-old royal ferns, hundreds of species of moths, dragonflies, marsh tits and rare bog plants, it's no wonder Askham Bog is one of northern England's most ecologically-diverse wildlife havens.

The reserve has recently undergone a major upgrade - including a brand-new boardwalk and refreshed wildlife information panels - in celebration of its 80th anniversary. Thanks to your support of our 'Action for Askham Bog' appeal, we'll be looking to make further changes over the coming years to help this amazing site become more resilient in the face of a changing climate.

Join us to discover the long history of the Bog, the changes we've recently made and our vison for the future of this astonishing site, aptly described as a ‘cathedral of conservation’ by Sir David Attenborough.

Book your ticket

Your vote matters!

As a member, you have a say in how we’re governed. Please use your voting form (enclosed with the autumn edition of Wildlife Yorkshire magazine which will be delivered in early September) to help shape our future direction. Each vote counts at our Annual General Meeting, and yours could make all the difference!

To help you make your decision, here are some essential documents:

To request a new voting form or a free hard copy of these documents, please call us on 01904 659570 (option 1) or email us at supporter.services@ywt.org.uk

About the Venue

Our AGM & Members Day is taking place in the Alan Ayckbourn Theatre at:

York College
Sim Balk Lane
Bishopthorpe
York
YO23 2BB

The venue is fully accessible.

How to get there:

York College is easily reachable via train, bus, car, or bicycle.

The venue is served by several bus routes (including the Coastliner and the Park and Ride service) and is a 14 minute (two mile) cycle from York Railway Station. There will be ample free parking available on the day.