Somerset Wildlife Trust is delighted and excited to launch a unique new open garden scheme for garden lovers and wildlife enthusiasts across the county. Wilder Open Gardens will give amateur gardeners and anyone with even slightly green fingers in their communities the chance to be loud and proud of their gardens and outdoor spaces and share some of the special things they are doing for nature in them. From balcony and patio gardens to large private estates and everything in between, anyone with a love of wildlife is encouraged to get involved.

The aim of the scheme is to inspire others to make their outdoor spaces more friendly for wildlife, no matter what size, in order to combat the huge decline in nature across the county - and to raise funds for Somerset Wildlife Trust at the same time. The scheme provides a wilder and greener alternative to the normal charity coffee morning fundraiser and to bigger national open garden schemes that can be daunting for people to undertake.

With an estimated 124,500 private gardens in Somerset, gardens, with even just a few simple tweaks, can act as vital stepping stones for wildlife across the county. From hedgehog holes in fences, swift boxes, pollinator friendly window boxes, mini ponds and small patches left wild, all actions add up to help nature thrive. Whether you’ve done something large or small the Trust wants you to share it all - with family, friends, a community group, neighbours - even your entire street. You can host a Wilder Open Garden as a one off event, over a weekend or it could become part of an existing regular social fixture over the warmer months  - whatever you have time for.

Perhaps you have an amazing patch of wildflowers that comes up each year, a homemade insect hotel that’s fully booked or a window ledge of colourful pollinator friendly plants – so long as you’ve made a change or two for wildlife, anything goes. So open the garden gate, put the kettle on, bake a cake or two and show off your wilder garden this spring and summer!

Taking part and hosting a Wilder Open Garden is incredibly easy, as the Trust has created a special Wilder Open Gardens pack to download online (somersetwildlife.org/wilder-open-gardens) with all the information to make your Wilder Open Garden event a success, from invitations, to signage, ideas for fundraising and lots of tips of how to promote your event.

Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Community Fundraiser, Kate Wilson, explains, “Nature is in huge decline and climate change is exacerbating the rate at which this is happening.  Literally every space for nature counts, large or small, so our gardens have a really important role to play in terms of reversing that decline and putting nature back into our gardens - and into our lives.

“We’re a green-fingered nation and we know there's a huge number of people out there doing some pretty amazing things for wildlife in their own homes and we want to give those people’s efforts a chance to shine.  Size really doesn’t matter - micro gardens are welcome, balconies, green walls, fabulous pots and hanging basket collections. It’s also about having a brilliant excuse to catch up with the people around us that we have not seen as much as we would have liked, with whom we can share ideas and tips and just enjoying nature on our own doorsteps in good company - any excuse for cake must be welcomed!  The fundraising element is equally as vital as Somerset Wildlife Trust cannot do the work needed across the county without the help of generous supporters.  Hopefully the new scheme will provide an easy, enjoyable way for people to do their bit for nature on their own patch.  I am really looking forward to supporting our hosts this year so do get in touch.”

Alongside the launch of Wilder Open Gardens, the Trust has also launched a range of new wilder gardening resources on its website to give people practical ideas and help in putting nature friendly features into their gardens and outdoor spaces, information about its wilder gardening group and also an interactive map where community garden owners can feature their community garden so people can visit and even volunteer to help.

ENDS

For interviews and further information please contact Kirby Everett on 01823 652413 or kirby.everett@somersetwildlife.org

You can follow us on Twitter at SomersetWT or Facebook on @Somersetwildlifetrust

Photo: Caption

Images are attached for use with this news release.  They are granted on a one-time use basis, in association with this release and the photographer must be credited. More images available on request.

About Somerset Wildlife Trust

Somerset Wildlife Trust is a nature conservation charity. Its purpose is to restore and protect the populations of species across the county and the habitats they call home. Climate change is one of the greatest threats to nature, natural habitats and the ecosystems that support our life on earth.  Our aims are to help address both the ecological and climate crises and put nature back into people’s lives.

Nature reserves and protected sites on their own are not enough. In order to reverse the decline in species’ diversity and abundance, and create resilient landscapes and habitats for wildlife and for people that can adapt to climate change, we need to: 

• encourage and support landowners to manage their land positively for nature; create more space for nature;
• connect wildlife-rich spaces across the wider landscape to create a robust Nature Recovery Network for Somerset; and
• create a movement of people – at least 1 in 4 – that take action for nature’s recovery across Somerset as part of Team Wilder. 

This is at the core of our new 10-year strategy. Nationally the Wildlife Trusts are calling for at least 30% of land to be managed positively for nature by 2030. What we do in Somerset must contribute to that national ambition. You can read our full 10 year strategy, Wilder Somerset here.