Team Wilder is all about empowering communities to care for the natural world in their own spaces. Through practical support, training, and guidance, we help local people take the lead — creating greener, more wildlife-friendly environments that benefit both people and nature.
This month, Team Wilder has been making a real difference across a range of projects. At HMP Peterborough, they have plans to transform unused outdoor spaces into wildlife-friendly, mindful areas. Their carpentry department has already been crafting bird boxes, bug hotels, and other homes for wildlife, some of which will be shared with community projects so people can track the creatures that move in. They have plans to use polytunnels to grow plants to make into hanging baskets and pots to sell back to the community. Possibly the most exciting part of their plans is they hope to become a home for rescued hedgehogs, providing those that cannot be released back to the wild with a safe space – a project which has already proved successful at other prisons in the UK.
Over at Russell House, the care leavers' garden is thriving. Though it has been a hot and dry summer, the young people have worked hard to keep things going. They have been harvesting the last of the season’s vegetables recently — including some impressively large carrots! As the weather turns colder, garden-themed craft sessions are keeping young people engaged, and we’ve had some other successes, like a reserved young person fully immersing themselves in planting and caring for new herbs, which is a wonderful reminder of the impact these experiences can have.
Team Wilder has also been out in the wider community. From Syresham’s Climate Change Fair, sharing practical tips for wildlife-friendly gardening, to Castle Park’s new community planters, which we’re helping the community to make as biodiverse as possible, the team is encouraging people to take small, meaningful actions for nature. Visits to schools, training days, and other community events continue to strengthen local knowledge and passion for wildlife — all part of building a lasting, hands-on connection with the natural world.
We want to hear from you and how your community is connecting with local wildlife and how we can support you to do even more. Find out more about how you can get involved here.
