Wiltshire’s Wilder Side: Nextdoor Nature

By Josh Rogers, Team Wilder Community Empowerment Officer

The ambition of getting one in four people to take action for nature sits at the heart of our new strategy and #TeamWilder approach. To kick-start this new approach, we have launched a two-year project called Nextdoor Nature.

The Nextdoor Nature project aims to bring communities together to help nature flourish where they live and work. Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will provide people with the advice and support they need to lead real change for nature in their own neighbourhood by helping to create new green spaces and activities for everyone.

Meeting this goal has meant incorporating new strategies; stepping back from our usual approaches, reaching communities traditionally left out of the conversation and allowing them to lead this change for themselves.

A great example of this has been taking place at Bemerton Heath in Salisbury. Having spoken to local groups and listened to their ideas about what they want to do to improve green spaces and engage with nature, we have developed a number of ‘Big Green Conversations’. These conversations will bring together community members with experts, local decision makers and possible funding to help turn ideas into reality.

Allowing communities to take control, and creating feelings of ownership and pride over our shared natural spaces is embedded in this project. It is a time for us to empower communities and support their development.