Working for nature can be challenging so sometimes it’s important to come together to share ideas, celebrate successes, learn, connect and encourage each other. 

On Saturday 14 October 2023 we held our first in-person community forum. Nine locally-lead groups gave quick-fire talks about their projects, before we moved into an open-space session and lunch, followed by afternoon workshops.

We heard about the dangers faced by swallows, toads and eels as they journey to complete their lifecycles – and were moved by the hard work that goes into helping them. We listened to stories of community cohesion and child-inspired projects in Blagdon Hill, Easton and Buckland. And we learnt about nature trails, river restoration and the incredible achievements of the community in the Wellington taking on management of their greenspaces.

We are so grateful to everyone who came along and offered inspiring talks, displays and activities! We specifically put this event on as a forum for sharing and celebrating local community action. If you’d like to keep the conversations going, please join the Team Wilder Facebook group.

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Feedback

We want future events to be shaped by you and serve your needs so thank you to everyone who has who has given us feedback! Here’s what you’ve told us…

Event was BRILLIANT. So many people turned up and the speakers were amazing!

The internet provides lots of opportunities for collaborating across the county, but lots of you told us how nice it was to meet in person and share an experience “in real life”. But you’d also like to see opportunities to meet up throughout the year online – so watch this space!

Lots of people commented on how much they enjoyed the talks but felt that we need to find a format to both keep things snappy so we could hear from lots of projects, without rushing the speakers.

The pacing kept everything energetic and I loved the short presentations that allowed me to learn about lots of things happening near me

This was a networking (rather than outreach) event and many of you agreed there was real value in having the opportunity to meet likeminded people, share skills and ideas, and come away renewed and refreshed. But there are a wide diversity of people working on environmental projects in both urban and rural areas, and we recognise that we need to work harder next year to make sure everyone feels welcome and able to attend. And finally, the afternoon activities were good fun but over subscribed so we’ll look to put on more options next year.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to you and the rest of the team for making today very special. It was uplifting and motivating.

We are pleased to announce that Wilder 2024 will take place at Edgar Hall, Somerton, Saturday 12th October.

Whether you are passionate about Nature-based Solutions, keen on wildlife recording or want to create more space for nature in your garden, park, or churchyard - come and join in! 

Again, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came along and joined in with such enthusiasm, we look forward to catching up in October!

Book for 2024