Find a group and get involved

We support any activity that improves our Natural Environment. Here is a list of active projects.
• Managing Ash Millennium Wood
• Planting two woodland areas in Martock Recreation Ground
• Managing Cartgate Nature Area under and agreement with Highways England, including a comprehensive record of species found there.
• Surveying the parish waterways for phosphate nutrient levels.
• Carrying out a basic biodiversity survey of the two parishes to identify important habitats and corridors.
• Provide biodiversity evidence for planning decisions.

We're making progress! We also have a website where you can find out more.

Community Group looking after a nature conservation site.

We're well established - Find out more

The Berrow Dunes Nature Reserve is part of an SSSI, created on account of the varied habitats - sand, salt marsh, ponds, slacks, woodland and freshwater lagoon. Over 270 plants have been recorded. Orchids found on the dunes include the relatively rare lizard orchid, bee, common spotted, early marsh, pyramidal and southern marsh.

The Berrow Conservation Group (BCG) has an established annual programme of fore dune monitoring on the Nature Reserve and has also undertaken quadrat monitoring to track the regrowth of plant species in areas cleared of invasive sea buckthorn.

We conduct Citizen Science projects to monitor the wildlife on the reserve and have developed an annual programme of surveys. These include bumble bees, butterflies, bats, birds, plants and freshwater invertebrates.

We have designed nature trails on the Nature Reserve and have started to lead walks on these trails for vulnerable groups.
Recently volunteers from the group have begun monitoring and clearing Parrots Feather and Water Primrose in the local village ponds.

We're well established. Find out more or contact us through Berrow Conservation Group Facebook page!

Our aim is to restore the natural balance of Bruton's stretch of the river Brue as a haven for wildlife, and to promote our riverside as somewhere relaxing to spend time with nature.

We're well established! Take a look at our website to find out more.

Environmental group with a focus on the Kit Brook catchment including water quality monitoring, tree planting, biodiversity surveys, litter picking, and most exciting of all creating a catchment action plan with support from the Blackdown Hills AONB, the Environment Agency and the East Devon Catchment Partnership. Half for the Kit Brook catchment is in Devon and the other half in Somerset.

We're making progress! Take a look at our Facebook page to find out more.

We lead environmental projects in our village including seeding wildflower areas, bulb planting and organising litter picks. We encourage villagers to be nature friendly through a monthly newsletter offering information and 'green' tips. Some members are involved in Wilder Churches and Wilder Schools - see separate entries.

We're making progress - Get in touch to join in!

We also have a Facebook group where you can find out more about what we're up to.

This is a joint project by local conservation volunteers and Coleford Parish Council. The Butterfly Bank was created as a millennium project on land adjoining the playing field at Lower Coleford. The current aims are to maintain the site to provide a wildflower grassland, in support of native plants, butterflies and other insects. In addition, bird boxes have been positioned in the woodland and an insect hotel built. The land is owned by the Parish Council, which pays for an annual brush cut to removed brambles. Local volunteers carry out winter maintenance (mainly clearing the cut materials and keeping paths open through the bank and woodland behind) and summer maintenance (path clearance and removal of invasive plants). Wildflower surveys have identified about 60 species.

In 2022 the Coleford Conservation Volunteers group was formed. Successful grant bids have been made and wildflower plugs and seeds added during Spring 2023. This will be repeated in 2024. New plant species, such as kidney vetch, have been spotted. Tree maintenance has also been funded, to keep the bank open.

No group website at present. Messages are posted on the Coleford Conservation Volunteers and Parish Council Facebook pages.

We're making progress!

Our aim is to diversify the Elms Estate, in particular the square which is jointly owned by the residents of Elms Estate. We have already successfully established a wildflower meadow and shrubbery. We have changed the way we maintain the square to increase biodiversity and habitats. In the process we are engaging the local communities to get involved.

We're making progress! We have a website, but please note it is currently being refreshed. We communicate via newsletters and email to our residents.

EMCV meet at Harridge Woods and other East Mendip Somerset Wildlife Trust reserves to take part in practical habitat management tasks such as coppicing and invasive species control. Meeting at 10am and working until 1pm on the first Sunday of the month. 

You can view our task programme here. If you would like to join the group, please get in touch to register.

Easton Wildlife Group CIC was established in 2018. Our first project was to create a planting scheme in an unused area of the village playing field to support and sustain local wildlife. In November 2020 we planted 350+ native trees in seven small coppices bordered by grass paths, which are separated from the rest of the playing field by a new hedgerow. In the summer of 2021 village children made a large bug hotel. In September 2022 the Somerset Playing Fields Association awarded their Bronze Award to the playing field, recognising the added value of the planting scheme.

Our current project is to create a pollinator garden in raised beds at the village hall. We have also run a nature discovery day for children, a gardening for wildlife workshop, community wildlife mapping workshop, annual glow worm surveys, and we encourage local residents to participate in No-Mow May.

We're well established. Email us to find out more!

This small, friendly group works with the Reserve Manager on a variety of practical habitat management tasks at nature reserves in South Somerset. Meeting 10.20am on Tuesdays aiming to finish at 3.30pm. 

You can view our task programme here. If you would like to join the group, please get in touch to register.

Group of Fivehead and Swell local residents aiming to encourage and undertake practical environmental initiatives within the community. Aim to support the local environment and help address the climate emergency.

We're just getting started! Get in touch to join in.

We are a charity committed to reviving nature, reconnecting people with the landscape and slowing climate change in the Forest of Selwood. We lead the Forest of Selwood partnership encouraging collaboration and knowledge exchange.

We're well established! To find out more and join in, please visit our website.

Friends of Longrun Meadow manage the 65 acre site to improve the biodiversity and to engage the local residents in the natural world. During the winter we lay hedges, coppice and build dead hedges. In the summer we are managing invasive species, engaging with school children and doing bee transects.

We meet each Thursday at 10am for a couple of hours and finish with a well earned coffee.

We're well established - Take a look at our website for more information and get in touch to join in!

Management of Rodden Nature Reserve, a Local Wildlife Site. Natural Flood Management. Established over 15 years ago. Regular surveys for all taxa; full reports produced every five years.

We're well established - Find out more on our website or join our Facebook group

The Wild Bunch is open to anyone who is interested in gardening for wildlife in our private gardens and shared local green spaces.

Championing the idea of our gardens and green spaces being inter-connected parts of a much larger wild space that is owned by our wild neighbours, the group shares ideas, hosts monthly gatherings and holds public events that promote wildlife-friendly approaches in our neighbourhoods.

We're making progress! For more information please visit our webpage.
 

Our mission is to make small changes in our community to improve Ilminster's environmental impact on the planet, adding to the efforts of thousands more communities around the world. We are particularly passionate about climate change and plastic waste.

We are making progress - Find out more and join in!

Working as much as possible with hand tools, we plan to support the management of our local Somerset Wildlife Trust reserve, Langford Heathfield, as well as carrying out tasks around the village particularly in extending and enriching wildlife corridors.

We're making progress! Look at our website to find out more.

Working together as a community to reduce our environmental impact. Green Wedmore knows that to reach net-zero we have to preserve the carbon safely locked up in our peat, soils, woodlands and pasture and look to absorb more through peat restoration, tree planting and improving soils condition. Our precious nature is vital as well; when our soil is in good condition it not only keeps the carbon safe it is also full of life and helps bigger critters such as pollinators, birds, hedgehogs and more.

Green Wedmore’s Carbon and Nature group has two aims;
Aim 1: To measure the carbon sequestration amount for the parish of Wedmore and work towards increasing it to help achieve our Net-Zero targets.
Aim 2: To restore nature in the parish.
Our first big project is our Wild for Wildlife in Wedmore. Working together as a community to reduce our environmental impact.

We're well established - Find out more!

Vision

Over the next 5 years we will work together as a community to realise the potential of Blagdon Green to become an enhanced recreation space for everyone and a haven for wildlife. It will be community managed and maintained, led by the team of volunteers from the village, with a continual open-invitation for the recruitment of new volunteers from within the village, through community events held on the green, such as fruit-picking, wildflower scything, pond-dipping and hay baling.

The pond / bog garden will create excellent habitats for wildlife. New seating around the pond / bog garden will provide a social relaxation and contemplation point for interacting with nature. Creating a wildflower meadow and bog garden across almost half of the Green will offer wellbeing benefits to the community whilst creating greatly enhanced pollination opportunities for wild bees and other pollinators locally, assisting local amateur bee-keepers with honey production and also farmers and gardeners.

Planting additional fruit trees (pear, greengage, plum and cherry) will supplement the existing small orchard of apple trees. Fruit will be available to be picked and enjoyed by the whole community and become the focus of community events.

A community produce-sharing stall will be created, allowing the village community to share excess produce and flowers at a central point. This will be managed by a volunteer vegetable-growing community from within the village. Provision of additional picnic tables near the south of the Green will encourage community picnics and informal social events.

The current usage of the Green by dog-walkers and informal family ball games will be maintained, by ensuring that the existing area of shorter mown grass and mown paths are retained for this purpose.

Creating the vision

The enhancement of the Green is being led by views expressed in the community consultation undertaken during the spring of 2022. Consultation about further developments will be a routine part of the ongoing flexible management plan, ensuring community needs and aspirations remain at the heart of the Green.

The sensitive development of the Green, with wildlife and environmental connectivity at its heart, will complement the existing well-used playing field, approximately 1km away. It will enhance the community benefits of this outdoor space for residents at the southern end of the village in particular, who currently live a greater distance away from the playing field. The Parish Council’s plans to develop the wildflower potential of the roadside verges at the entrance points to the village will set the tone for an environmentally-conscious village, with the Green at its heart.

The community consultation process has already raised awareness, stimulated debate and actions about recognising the need and potential of improving habitats and environmental consciousness within the village community. The educational and inspirational nature of the Green will continue to be a model and catalyst for increasing community awareness of environmentally-conscious approaches to gardening and land-maintenance.

Objectives

Within 5 years:
● Create a pond or bog garden to enhance nature habitats and community wellbeing.
● Create wildflower meadows for wildlife and human wellbeing.
● Run seasonal community events to manage and maintain the wildflower meadows, led by volunteers.
● Plant 6-8 additional fruit trees for community produce and extend the community engagement with fruit-picking and processing through regular, seasonal events.
● Provide a community produce share stall, managed by a dedicated team of volunteers.
● Install seats and landscaping around the pond / bog garden to provide an area for quiet contemplation and a social meeting point, and additional picnic benches to provide areas for villagers to gather with friends and families.
● Undertake further community consultation to inform subsequent actions and management planning.

Long-term:
● Create a community identity as a village which is connected with and dedicated to protecting wildlife and environment.
● Create a community space which is well-loved and used with nature and wellbeing at its heart.
● Create a series of seasonal community social events, in harmony with nature.
● Maintain the volunteer committee with rolling chair responsibility to oversee and execute the annual management plan and further community consultations.

Review

This management plan focuses on the five-year period between 2023 and 2028. The plan is flexible and may change during this period, particularly as several actions such as the pond or wetland wildflowers (bog garden) need preliminary assessments before the action is fully researched. However, the plan is unlikely to change dramatically as many of the actions were determined through the consultation.

Therefore, the plan should be reviewed in 2027, potentially undertaking another village consultation, about further actions that may be supported by the community. These actions as well as ongoing management will need to be considered and coordinated in the next five-year plan 2029-2033.

We are a small group improving the conditions for wildlife by working with local landowners and sourcing and planting trees and wildflowers wherever we can.

We're well established! Get in touch to join in.

Thank you for your interest in Hawkridge Reservoir Toad Patrol, we are always looking for new helpers of all ages.

Toads, and all other amphibians, cross to their breeding ponds from dusk when conditions are ideal, e.g., damp, and mild. Therefore, we patrol from dusk, for about 90 minutes, until most cars have passed and then allow the animals to cross in their own time for the rest of the night.
Patrols typically run from the first mild/wet evening of the year (usually start of Feb) through to when the clocks change (end of March). The arrival of BST brings the traffic rush hour into daylight hours leaving animals to cross in peace later in the evening.

We have an active WhatsApp group, during migration season, for those who want to join us. We use it as a place to arrange each night's patrol and answer any questions patrollers may have. To add you to our WhatsApp/mailing list all I need is your permission to do so and both your email and mobile phone number.

You need minimal equipment for patrols, but we do recommend:

• Hi-Vis Jacket/Vest (mandatory)
• Bucket
• Torch (head torches keep hands free but hand torches have a better battery life, or you can use both)
• Warm clothes and be prepared for a few showers (that is what amphibians like) with waterproofs.

We're well established! Visit our Facebook group or email scottkpassmore@outlook.com to find out more.

A few of us are keen to make nature matter in the village and record the species that can be found here.

If you would to get in touch, please send us an email!

Situated In Street on 11.7 hectares of a former brownfield site owned by C&J Clarks, the Houndwood estate consists of 400 homes. The design of the estate won awards in 2011 for its environmental attributes. Its design focused on community spaces rather than large gardens. The Houndwood Community Group's activities are aimed at making Houndwood a better and safer place to live. We formed about 7 years ago and reorganised in 2018 into our current form.

We want to create a mutually supportive community that can tackle loneliness and isolation, improving physical and mental health within the community by working together to improve and enhance our environment. We communicate with our neighbours regularly through newsletters and surveys via email, door drops, our Facebook page and website as well as on the site noticeboards. The issues highlighted by residents in the surveys determine the agenda of our open meetings which we hold as required.

Our activities include litter picking, gardening in communal areas and planters, managing wildlife areas, social events. We celebrate Halloween and Christmas by having a decoration competition between houses, windows and roads. We are supported by LiveWest and recently received grants for our community initiatives and sustainability events from Mendip District Council. We have bats, insects, lizards, birds, frogs, badgers and foxes as well as a large variety of wild flowers on our estate. We have been having bat walks and talks of discovery looking at this variety of animals and plants with various experts. We also undertake bird and bat box cleaning in the autumn each year. All activities including the gardening group are open and accessible to people of all abilities. We follow our safeguarding policy to keep all safe.

We're making progress! Take a look at our website to find out more.

We aim to green up Keinton!

• Providing free and planting a variety of trees and hedging
• Planting wildflower and pollinator rich verges and areas
• Hedgehog pathways and adoption

We're making progress. Get in touch to join in!

Involved in the local community to raise awareness of wildlife & nature. Working in partnership with schools & local organisations.

We're making progress! Take a look at our Facebook group to find out more.

The MMCV group meets at 10.30am on the first Thursday of the month on nature reserves to carry out practical tasks such as dry stone walling and ragwort pulling to benefit grassland habitats. 

You can view our task programme here. If you would like to join the group, please get in touch to register.

We act for wildlife in a practical and advisory capacity. We help with improving the school meadow for wildlife; practical conservation on the wonderful East Hill; promoting No Mow May / Let it Bloom June / Let it Grow High in July; planting a new hedgerow; carrying out some PTES hedgerow survey, which, if welcome, we will turn into a management plan and corridor for hedges for part of the village. We have an article in the village magazine every month on climate or nature maters which is also published on our website and the Parish Council's.

We're making progress! You can also see what we're up to by visiting our Facebook page.

The Aim of North Curry Environment Group  is to champion, support and undertake local and community action which will contribute to achieving a low carbon, nature rich and environmentally sustainable future.

We're just getting started! If you'd like to get in touch, please email pldeac@aol.com.

We are re-wilding and tree planting, to improve and create biodiversity within the community.

We're just getting started!

A community project to increase biodiversity in our parish. This has included bulk buying of wildflowers for residents to plant in gardens, as well as working with Ashwick and Oakhill Village Hall committee to plant native flowers, bulbs and trees in the playing field.

We're making progress! Take a look at our Facebook group, as well as the Ashwick and Oakhill Village Hall page.

Our aims are: to share information on how we can all live more sustainably, to promote biodiversity, to develop and support community projects to these ends, and to liaise with local businesses and organisations to promote sustainability. We are planting wildflowers in a local park, managing the adjoining copse to promote biodiversity including putting up bird boxes and an owl box, and growing plants for pollinators to support bees and other pollinations. We also run a monthly repair cafe, and are currently liaising with the parish church and local council to reduce mowing in the churchyard.

We have a website and a Facebook page where you can find out more.

We're making progress - Get in touch to join in!

We are a group of volunteers who manage the land around Otterhead Lakes for Wildlife and conservation on a 25 year Lease from Wessex Water. We are a registered Charity. We have volunteer work groups and a forest school use the Coach House in Term Time

We're making progress - Find out more!

Puriton Nature Trail aims to preserve and sensitively develop an overgrown area near the Sports Centre football pitches to provide an area where nature and people can thrive together. The project is currently a partnership between the parish council and Seed of Hope CIC, but we wish to develop it for and with the village community. Volunteers welcome :)

We're making progress! Take a look at the Seed of Hope website for more information.

Quantock Eco's objective is to initiate, lead and facilitate local activities which will address environmental concerns in South West Somerset, and to share both ideas and results with like-minded communities in our region.

Its task will be to raise awareness of these concerns through practical projects for individuals, groups or the whole community, and through encouraging changes in lifestyle and technology which will result in a sustainable environment.

We're well established - Find out more

Rode Playing Field, a registered charity, has been gifted some additional land. From an options study the trustees decided to extend the playing area for sport whilst developing a good proportion into a community orchard and wildlife garden. The project has been successful in its application to the National Lottery Community Fund enabling work to begin. To date (January 2022) the land has been mown, an old fence removed and a new hedge planted on the new boundary. 170 metres of hedge was planted by villagers on the 30th December 2021 at our 'Plantathon' involving children as young as 3 and 4 to senior members of our community. It was a great, albeit slightly cold and rather muddy, event. The next stage is to agree a design that incorporates facilities for to encourage a greater diversity of wildlife whilst providing an interesting a relaxing space for our community. Part of the area will be woodland, for which the Woodland Trust are donating some trees, due to arrive in March. By autumn 2022 it's hoped to have the main features of the design established.

We're just getting started - Get in touch for further information!

Who are we?

We are a group of volunteers who carry out practical conservation work on local nature reserves. We are a mixed group of people of all ages and backgrounds.

Where do we work?

Most tasks take place in the Somerset Levels, but sometimes we work in other areas within the Sedgemoor or Mendip District Council boundaries.

We're well established! Have a look at our website, where you can find out more.

We are planting hedges and creating a meadow on Parish land to create and raise awareness of wildlife habitats and biodiversity.

We're making progress!

We are a practical conservation group meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of every month (from 11th July).

We are just getting started! Take a look at our website to find out more.

Stoke Environment Group is a community group based in the Parish of Stoke St Gregory. We formed in July 2021 as a result of a Parish Council initiative to mobilise local support to address the challenges arising from global climate change. Our ‘membership’ continues to grow, and our aim is to reach 100 members, or 10% of the Parish, as soon as possible. Some members simply support our vision whilst others take a more active role in coordinating and undertaking projects.

Our Vision
A rural community that is friendly, inclusive and resilient where people share skills, ideas, knowledge, experience and time. A connected and healthy community, where everyone can get around with minimal carbon emissions. A green community that is rich in wildlife, that encourages biodiversity and cares for all species. An empowered community, where every individual can make a positive difference for the benefit of all. A socially responsible and sustainable community where we actively care for our environment and the wellbeing of current and future generations.

Our Objectives
• To make a positive contribution towards finding practical and affordable ways of reducing carbon emissions in our community
• To champion environmental awareness by working with all ages and experience and sharing reliable information that will lead towards a greater understanding of our impact on the natural world
• To support our natural world, and where possible, increase the diverse range of birds, plants, insects and mammals in our community
• To promote practises that have a positive and lasting benefit on our environment
• To encourage participation and inclusivity in the group’s work leading to an improvement in personal wellbeing and sense of belonging

We're making progress - get in touch to join in!

Website: www.envirostoke.org
Facebook: Stoke Environment Group
Email: envirostoke@yahoo.com
Telephone: 07837 764367

Stowey Green Spaces Group (SGSG) look after the green areas around Nether Stowey and Over Stowey. These include the recreation ground and surrounds, Stowey Millennium/Jubilee Wood and Stowey Wood, as well as the Stowey A39 Bypass Wood. Management of the Millennium/Jubilee Wood and Stowey Wood is licensed to SGSG by Somerset County Council. SGSG have planted more than 1500 trees in and around the Stoweys in the past 10 years. They also carry out litter picks of both villages and surrounds every 3rd Saturday of the month. 

We're well established - Find out more on our Facebook group!

Sustainable Witham Friary are a group of individuals who are passionate about nature and would like to be involved in helping to stop the decline in biodiversity. We are recording species via Inaturalist, we are recording ancient trees via the tree warden scheme and have started to record hedgerows. We are trying to work out a management plan for our churchyard to make space for nature.

We're making progress! Take a look at our website and Facebook page to see what we're up to.

Are you local to Taunton and have an interest in wildlife gardening and nature connection?

Upcoming sessions

All sessions run from 10:30am - 12:30pm. You do not have to join for the whole session, come for as long as you like!

• Monday 17th June
• Monday 15th July
• Monday 19th August
• Monday 16th September
• Monday 21st October

What will the group get up to?

Tasks could include:

• General garden maintenance, such as removal of bramble covering paths, pruning work and deadheading, in line with the management plan.
• Improvement and maintenance of the pond; dig out and re-line.
• Building and installation of mini-beast hotels, bird boxes and bat boxes.
• Improve and maintain the compost heaps.
• Wildlife recording and surveys.
• Orchard tree care and harvesting.
• A variety of nature connection activities.
• Spend time with like-minded people and help to create a haven for wildlife!

Skills and ability needed:

None! A passion for nature is important, but you don’t have to be an expert.

To find out more about the group please email volunteering@somersetwildlife.org

We are a friendly group of adults carrying out practical nature conservation work in the beautiful countryside that surrounds Taunton, usually on local nature reserves within a twelve mile radius of the town.

Come and join us every other Thursday for a day of good healthy physical exercise working on a variety of tasks. These include scrub and bracken clearance, coppicing, tree planting and footpath maintenance, making a difference for the benefit of our wildlife.

No previous experience is needed as training will be given in the safe use of the hand tools provided.

For information on joining the group and details of our
forthcoming programme please see our Facebook page, email tauntonmcv@gmail.com
or phone Chris on 01984 624328.

The Polden Environment Network (PEN) seeks to protect and restore local wildlife for local people. By linking communities together and connecting wildlife habitats, the group hopes to energise and enable residents and their villages to take action for nature and preserve the wild spaces across The Poldens.

We're just getting started! Get in touch to join in by emailing Poldensgroup@outlook.com

Transition Town Wellington (TTW) started in 2008 and is part of the international movement, Transition Network. We are a group of local people volunteering to make our town more carbon neutral, sustainable and biodiverse. We run events, a repair cafe, a number of community gardens and are working to establish a forest garden.

We are well established - Find out more on our website. Join our Facebook page. Email: communit.ttw@gmail.com

Parish council working group called "TEA" set up to encourage greater community involvement in supporting the environment and countering climate change. Proposed activities, shortly to be rolled out to the community include: the distribution of wild flower seeds for residents to plant in a patch of their garden; a 1m2 garden re-wilding initiative, encouraging residents to leave a small part of their garden for nature; a seed swap; a plant swap; and the opportunity to sponsor one of the many trees in our communal areas simply by watering it and supporting its growth.

We're just getting started! You can find out more on the Trull Parish Council website, and get in touch via email.

Our group covers Wiveliscombe and the 10 Parishes area. Our aims are:

a) To raise awareness of climate change, the contribution of human carbon emissions and their effects on the life of our community;

b) To raise awareness of threats to the human and natural environment;

c) To positively engage and work with local people, businesses and community organisations in the Wiveliscombe area on climate change and environmental problems;

d) To promote and support low carbon and sustainable living and working in the Wiveliscombe area;

e) To campaign and manage projects for sustainable solutions to climate change and environmental problems, which improve human well-being and protect the natural world;

f) To support campaigns and projects promoted by regional and national groups with similar aims, such as The Climate Coalition, Centre for Alternative Technology, Centre for Sustainable Energy, Forum for the Future, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Hubbub, Transition Network, WRAP and WWF.

We're well established! We have a website and Facebook page where you can find out more. 

Wells District Wildlife Group is an independent local wildlife group actively involved in promoting awareness of wildlife in our environment, its conservation and enjoyment. 

Each year we hold a series of informational talks about the wildlife both within our area and further afield and conduct a number of nature walks and other activities in the area to experience our natural environment first hand.

Find out more about Wells and District Wildlife Group on their website.

Westbury Community Tree Group was set up in 2020, and has already created a Tree Nursery, as well as attracted funding to further its aims. These aims are to increase tree cover in the parish to help offset the catastrophic loss of ash trees, to help promote biodiversity and to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Some major planting has already happened and more is planned for this winter, all of which is achieved by volunteer labour.

We're making progress - have a look at our webpage to find out more and to get in touch!

The WMCV group meets at 10.30am every other Wednesday to carry out practical tasks such as dry stone walling and ragwort pulling at Somerset Wildlife Trust nature reserves in the West Mendips.

You can view our task programme here. If you would like to join the group, please get in touch to register.

We are west Monkton Parish Council Green Community Team, based at Brittons Ash Community Hall. Together we undertake the following activities:

• Community gardening and tree planting
• Monthly community litter picks
• Country Park maintenance work
• Plant and seed swaps
• Community recycling schemes/events

We're well established! Take a look at our website to find out more.

Wild Cheddar aims to help create more space for Nature in Cheddar. This includes promoting, providing advice about and celebrating wildlife gardening and working with local organisations, such as schools to create and improve habitat. Wild Cheddar is set up as a Group on Next Door and can be contacted at wildcheddar6@gmail.com. 

We're making progress!

We are a newly-formed group which, initially, will be reaching out to other like minded/hearted groups in our area to listen and learn. We plan to focus on local schools and schoolchildren by engaging with them in fun and educational projects.

One group member is opening up her wildlife garden on Sunday 9th July for people to enjoy, while learning more about planting and maintaining a wildflower meadow.

We're just getting started! Get in touch to join in by emailing Trishacomrie@gmail.com.

Wilder Buckland is a group of local residents who are keen to raise awareness of the need for local action to address the climate and ecological emergencies. We are also identifying and delivering activities that help make a positive impact, we have refurbished our disused phone box to re-purpose as an eco-hub and we have been working with the Parish Council to change the management of the village field to create a wildflower meadow. We have lots of other ideas we hope to put into practice as we grow!

We are making progress - Get in touch to join in!

An Enmore and Goathurst Parish Council's joint initiative to encourage the local community to manage, improve and increase wildlife habitat, wherever feasible, to promote sustainable and optimum wildlife biodiversity so that we all enjoy the whole benefits of living in a long term, healthy and balanced environment and which in turn, positively contributes and joins the wider national movement.

We're making progress! To find out more please get in touch;

Fiona Jackson (Enmore PC - Leader):  jacksonenmorepc@gmail.com
Beth Riches (Goathurst PC - Leader):  Beth.ann.riches@gmail.com
Lucy Allen (Facebook):  Lucy@the-levels.com

The aim of the Friends of Wilstock & Stockmoor (FoWS) Country Park group is to conserve and enhance the ecology in the park and to promote public access to and enjoyment of it.

We're making progress! To find out more about what we're up to, visit out Facebook group.

A community vegetable and flower growing project that encourages supporting, working with and improving nature wherever possible. Talks and events on environmental projects, including a series of wildlife safaris that educate people on specific species, as well as building habitats for people to take away such as bat boxes, bird boxes and hedgehog houses.

We're making progress! Take a look at our website to find out more.

Friends of the Somerset River Frome is a community group and registered charity that works to improve, protect and celebrate the Somerset River Frome. To help our river we do all sorts - from litter picks, water sampling and campaigning, to organising festivals, events and working with schools.

We're well established! We have a website where you can find out more.

Gathering regular and detailed data on phosphate nutrient concentrations in watercourses and ponds in the Levels Catchment. The purpose is to collect robust data to inform procedures for reducing excessive phosphate concentrations that are increasingly threatening the viability of some parts of the Levels.

We're making progress! Head to our website for more information.

The Somerset Poo Fighters are supported by Litter Free Coast & Sea Somerset, and are working to tackle the issue of dog fouling. Dog poo negatively impacts water quality as it contains nutrients that is not usually found in our waterways. Excessive nutrients can cause harmful algae growth, which in turn reduces oxygen availability for aquatic wildlife. It also contains harmful bacteria and parasites that can cause serious illness in humans. The group carry out spraying and stencilling work to highlight dog foul and remind owners to always clean up after their dogs.

We're making progress! We have a Facebook group where you can find out more information.

Water Guardian Volunteers monitor pollution, litter-pick, record wildlife and collect long-term data about water quality. Water Guardian volunteers are based in the Brue catchment, Tone and Parrett.

Find out more 

Our Butterfly Team consists of enthusiastic volunteers who undertake weekly transect walks between April and September each year. Whilst enjoying the wonderful tranquillity of the Avalon Marshes Reserves, we record the number and species of all the butterflies we see on each of our transect walks. The data we collect is used locally by reserve managers to help develop their management plans and nationally by Butterfly Conservation to monitor changes in UK butterfly populations.

We're well established! For more information, please contact Fred Giles.

We aim to connect people through a shared interest in nature. We plan to collect wildlife observations over a year and share them via iNaturalist.

We're just getting started - Get in touch to join in!

A group of interested locals sharing their wildlife encounters on a WhatsApp group and website, from Song Thrushes to Sea Eagles! This is growing into a real citizen science project. Using smartphones, Seek and iNaturalist, parishioners and school children are photographing and recording the parish's wildlife to create a map of the parish's biodiversity and records of sightings.

We're making progress! Have a look at our website to find out more.

Somerset Geology Group are a network, of both professionals and amateurs, with an interest in geological conservation and associated activity in Somerset.

Find out more

Encouraging the communities within Taunton to map their local wildlife.

We're just getting started - Find out more!

We aim to preserve and promote the existing wildlife in the extraordinary and increasingly rare environment of churchyards, whilst maintaining the churchyard as a peaceful and respectful resting place for the community's dead, loved members.

The Somerset Wildlife Trust will help us:

• Improve our management plan, improve our recording of what is there, and change our actions to suit specific needs of different flowers and grasses

With the support of the Diocese we can:

• Communicate better about what we are doing
• Explain why picking up the mowings/strimmings is so important
• Identify what wildflowers and other wildlife we have in the churchyard
• Explain why wildflowers are so important

Our actions for this year are to:

• Create a proper compost heap structure (already planned)
• Provide a bin for plastic flowers to highlight the recycling opportunities available (needs to be initiated)
• Litter pick around the boundary of the churchyard (date to be planned)
• Hold a wildflower recognition talk/quiz/game/activity/event (happened twice - Plantlife's wildflower survey in May and July)
• Use the village newsletter, village website etc. to explain what we're doing and why (ongoing)
• Continue maintenance in usual way but develop a management plan recognising the different flowering times of wildflowers (ongoing)

We're well established - Get in touch to join in!

We are observing and recording the flora and fauna in the churchyard with the aim of protecting and encouraging what is there. We plan to erect compost bins for the church community which will help them to deal with the grass, hedge cuttings and dead floral tributes on the graves. This will reduce the need for bonfires. Green steps members will add more compostable materials and be responsible for turning them.

We have a Facebook group where you can find out more.

We're making progress - Get in touch to join in!

Christ Church was built in 1818 on the west of Frome to accommodate the overflow from St John's and it has extensive grounds. An area in the original churchyard will be left un-cut by Mendip Council in 2022 to naturalise and improve biodiversity. In the back churchyard we are developing wildflowers and plants for pollinators, as well as wildlife shelters. We have many trees and prolific birdlife.

We're making progress! 

Have a look at our website. 

The Friends of Brewham Churchyard have been working with Caring for God’s Acre for many years to increase the value of the churchyard for nature. We have a great variety of meadow flowers which benefit an array of wildlife which can be seen in the churchyard. We have recently formed a group to support and help members of the community who want to get involved.

We're making progress! To find out more please email us. 

We are a group based around the congregation of St John’s Church which is aiming to encourage a greater biodiversity in the churchyard by reducing mowing.

We are a relatively new group, and are thinking of other ways in which we can achieve our aims. Please email if you would like to get in touch!

Creation of a wildflower meadow in the cemetery. Erection of birdboxes in churchyard.

We're making progress. Please get in touch by emailing HLHEnvironmentalGroup@gmail.com if you'd like to get involved!

We are working towards creating spaces for nature and a wildflower meadow at the church.

We're just getting started - Get in touch to join in!

The Meeting House has a burial ground attached and this year we left large areas uncut. What flourished surprised us as it shows the wealth of seed and plant material in the soil waiting for the opportunity to develop. We have a list of the plants concerned, which included Pyramidal Orchid. We will continue with this process in future years and endeavour to see what benefit this is to insects and other wildlife.

We're well established!

We are trying to rewild our Church yard also using input from our C of E primary school from across the road.

We have been clearing rubbish from roadside sites and are involved with planting trees and plants on Fisher's Hill , a local piece of neglected park land.

We're making progress! Have a look at our website for more information.

We are making space for nature in our churchyard. An area has been set aside where we will only mow a couple of times a year. This autumn and next spring, we will be planting native wildflower perennial plug plants in this area and in other parts of the churchyard. Some of the plants have been donated and others will be grown by our community. We also have a log heap for insects and a number of bird boxes. We have planted native shrubs along the top of the Mill Stream bank which is one of the churchyard's boundaries. The bank itself is only cut back once a year. We had a survey conducted by the Somerset Botany Group and are investigating how we can best manage and nurture the areas around the graves which are the most biodiverse.

We're making progress!

As part of our Eco Church focus we are focusing on the biodiversity of our churchyard and encouraging the community to use it as a resource.

We're making progress. Take a look at the Polden Wheel website for more information.

A small rural church just beginning to explore the potential of our churchyard for wildlife and our local community. We've welcomed the community for an 'Open Churchyard Day' and received advice from the Somerset Botany Group. We have plans to grow some areas of the grass longer and improve the year-round food supply for our insects, while keeping the much loved and visited space we humans turn to for peach and time to reflect.

We're just getting started - Get in touch to join in! 

We used the Eco Church Survey to check how eco-friendly we were as a church. The survey results re: the 'land', encouraged us to make a small meadow area which is not mowed by the municipal mower! And to build habitat areas including a large and luxurious big hotel (constructed by the St James children)! We are planning to extend the meadow and change the mowing regime in other areas to encourage more wildlife. We already use the church grounds for church activities and for the local community, for example with our linked local school, or Art group and children and families. Somerset Botany Group did a survey of the grounds for us - the report is available on our website.

We're making progress!

Encouraged by the success of a long-established spring meadow area of the churchyard, where abundant primroses and bluebells surround an ancient yew, we decided to create a summer meadow to provide further food and habitat for wildlife. We regularly survey and record the grasses, wildflowers and wildlife we observe. Encouraged by the first two years' results, we have now sown locally sourced wildflower seeds in our summer meadow in an attempt to further increase nectar sources.

We're making progress - Get in touch to join in!

We have left 2 areas of the churchyard to grow long. We have 2 bee hotels that have been used for 2 summers. We now have 4 log piles. Parts of the churchyard walls are dry stone, with gaps for habitats.

We're making progress!

Churchyard subject to no-mow from late April to late August, with the exception of paths.

Summer 2021 was the first season. In the autumn some limited sowing was carried out, principally of yellow rattle. Erection of birdboxes.

Contact: Parish Environment Champion: Jem Langworthy at jeremylangworthy@hotmail.com

Our aim is for the churchyard to be cared for in a way which makes it pleasant and attractive for visitors, a place in keeping with the burial and remembrance of loved ones, a fit setting for the C13 church and a haven for wildlife.

Set between the sand dunes/links golf course and a small area of scrubland with a road bordered by housing, we aim to promote an area of wildlife retreat encouraging native plants to flourish.

A place for current and future generations to visit and explore both the history and the natural history.

We're just getting started! Find out more here.

We are working to improve the value of St Michael's Churchyard in Brent Knoll as a resource for wildlife through participation in a National Lottery Heritage Project, that funded the replacement of our N Aisle Roof.

We're well established! Have a look at our website.

Holy Trinity has an older churchyard and a new graveyard with an area of meadow alongside which we have planted a hedge. Our aim is to continue to manage the areas for the benefit of wildlife.

We're making progress! Take a look at our website to find out more.

We are managing the churchyard to encourage wildlife, particularly pollinators. We have held a successful day for families building bug hotels, as well as bug and plant hunts in the churchyard.

We're making progress! We have a website and a Facebook group.

The churchyard is managed with wildlife and people in mind to ensure the land is a space for people to connect with nature and for nature to thrive. 

We're well established!

A small group of us have been monitoring the wildlife of St Andrew's Church since 2021 and are increasing our 'no mow' area in 2022.

We're making progress! Have a look at our website for more information.

The Wildlife Group: It was formed after a service called "Greening the Church" in May 2012, the wildlife group had an inaugural meeting in that July. We are enthusiastic supporters of increasing the quality and quantity of wildlife in our locality, which is the Benefice of Fosse Trinity (Ditcheat, E. Pennard & Pylle). We also want to help others increase their knowledge and expertise in identifying and encouraging wildlife.
We maintain and improve the wildlife habitats in Ditcheat churchyard.

We're well established! Please get in touch via email, or visit Ditcheat Church website for more information.

We encourage our families to go and explore the Mendip Hills with litter pickers! We received a grant from Somerset Community Fund to buy litter pickers and set up a small nature library which has maps and guides for local walks.

We're just getting started!

Wildlife Watch clubs are for children to have lots of fun taking part in practical nature activities - from pond dipping to wildlife safaris.

Find out more about East Mendip Wildlife Watch club 

Skool Beanz started off in 2019 as an after school gardening club at Chilthorne Domer Church School. Now it is a community interest company teaching gardening at the school every Friday during term time and runs a Saturday gardening club on the allotment in term time and holidays throughout spring and summer.

The children learn all about growing vegetables, cut flowers and how to garden to help nature. The allotment has a dahlia bed, fruit area, vegetable beds, apple, pear and plum trees, mini meadow, muddy buddy compost bays, a rain water collecting station, a quiet wildlife garden with tiny pond, pumpkin patch and small sunflower field. Arts and crafts also play a huge part at Skool Beanz. Activities include decorating tin can flower vases and ceramic plant pots, painting wooden signs to label the different plants, flower hammering greetings cards and making scarecrows!

2022 sees the expansion of the allotment with the new plot next door being transformed into more veg and flower beds and a brand new polytunnel being assembled.

We're making progress! Find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Wildlife Watch clubs are for children to have lots of fun taking part in practical nature activities - from pond dipping to wildlife safaris.

Find out more about Taunton Wildlife Watch club 

Wildlife Watch clubs are for children to have lots of fun taking part in practical nature activities - from pond dipping to wildlife safaris. 

Find out more about Yeovil and District Wildlife Watch Club

An area which once housed bomb shelters was left to become overgrown and became a bit of a litter site as well as an eyesore. Over the Easter weekend of 2019 a couple of local residents cleared the weeds and rubbish in a small area that was spreading onto a public footpath. Around the same time Yeovil in Bloom suggested that Yeovil residents might like to care for any neglected areas near their homes. This was the start of the Brookie Bridge Community Project.

The area cared for is gradually increasing. It now has raised planters, paths, a small wildlife pond and flowers galore. Recycled, up cycled and donated materials are used and the majority of plants are either grown from seed or are extras from peoples gardens. It is hoped that the range of plants can be increased to help as many different types of wildlife as possible. This is very much an ongoing project, as are most gardens, and things change as necessary.

The Project members put on a Halloween event which is quickly replaced by a tribute to the fallen heroes of the two world wars with a Remembrance Poppy Display in November, at the same time collecting donations for The Royal British Legion. Over the Christmas period the garden is lit with coloured fairy lights, candy canes and a Father Christmas. Easter sees a display of themed decorations. This year the summer bedding was themed around the Queens Jubilee with a red, white, blue and purple planting scheme.

We're making progress! The group hopes to continue to brighten up this area of Yeovil and are heartened by the positive comments they received by passers by when working on the garden.

Visit their Facebook page - Brookie Bridge Community Project - to see photos showing the progress and displays as well as some of hiccups experienced.

Our aims are:

• to increase and demonstrate healthy biodiversity and pollination
• to increase and demonstrate food security
• to build and strengthen community ties and encourage connection with the land
• to improve and encourage better mental and physical health through engagement with the project
• to create happiness for plants, animals, insects and people

We're making progress! Take a look at our webpage to find out more.