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Free online hub will mobilise communities for nature’s recovery

Launch hopes to create a ‘domino rally’ of people helping wildlife at home

Today, The Wildlife Trusts launch a new online hub of step-by-step guides to empower people to take action for nature where they live and work.

The Nextdoor Nature Hub provides free advice for groups who want to start nature recovery projects at a grassroots level.

‘How to’ guides about nature action include advice on:

  • How to create a nature recovery group
  • Transforming unused land into a wildlife haven
  • Working across multiple languages and cultures
  • Getting funding and support from businesses
  • Publicity, media and events

View the Nextdoor Nature Hub at www.nextdoornaturehub.org.uk. The platform is designed to be accessible to all, using simple language and video explainers. Information is also available in Welsh.

People can also upload stories about what they are doing to help wildlife in their gardens, workplaces, and communities. The Wildlife Trusts want to inspire a domino rally of nature action, where people draw inspiration from others to embark on projects at home.

Nextdoor Nature is The Wildlife Trusts’ flagship community nature recovery programme and is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Since it started last year, hundreds of groups have been supported to create community gardens and wilder neighbourhoods, building community spirit for people and providing habitats for wildlife.

A father holds a dandelion clock for his daughter, as she blows it. They are in a community garden.

Nikki Williams, Director of Campaigning and Communities at The Wildlife Trusts, says:

“Helping nature is something every individual or community can do, and when we come together it adds up to a big difference. The hub is a place where people can learn and be inspired by others. From creating wildlife corridors between gardens to wildflower meadows on disused land, you’ll be able to see what people are doing across the UK to transform nature-deprived places into havens for wildlife. We want to create a domino rally of activity, where people exchange and interpret ideas to give nature a boost where they live.”

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, says:

“Nextdoor Nature has been a fantastic success in its first year, with so many communities across the UK firmly grasping the nettle to meet the challenge of transforming the neglected green spaces around them. I’m pleased that thanks to National Lottery players, there’s now a one-stop place where everyone can go for advice and inspiration. Here’s to an exciting summer of events to celebrate!”

The Nextdoor Nature Hub launches alongside a programme of more than fifty events taking place over two weeks, from Scotland to the Isles of Scilly. These events provide an opportunity for communities to celebrate what they have achieved since Nextdoor Nature started, as well as developing new ambitions for the future. The full programme is available at: wildlifetrusts.org/nextdoor-nature-events

By 2030, The Wildlife Trusts are aiming to enable at least 1 in 4 people taking action for nature. Nextdoor Nature is part of the charities’ work to engage people of all ages, identities, cultures, backgrounds and abilities, supporting them to value, enjoy, speak up and take action for wildlife.

Making the hub easy to understand is vital to ensure everyone can grasp the nature and climate crisis and take action at home. Approximately 1.5 million people have a learning disability in the UK and 4.5 million people do not have English or Welsh as their first language.

Nextdoor Nature Community Celebrations

Please see the full programme here: wildlifetrusts.org/nextdoor-nature-events

Editors notes

Nextdoor Nature is bringing communities together to help nature flourish where they live and work. Thanks to £5 million funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Nextdoor Nature is providing people with the advice and support they need to help nature on their doorstep. The programme was launched to leave a lasting natural legacy to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Accessible information – research cited in the press release

According to the UK parliament, around 1.5 million people have a learning disability (https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn07058/) and around 4.5 million people in England and Wales do not have English or Welsh as their first language (https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-population-by-ethnicity/demographics/english-language-skills/latest)

For these combined 6 million people, jargon and technical language of some environmental and nature websites can be inaccessible.

The average reading age of the UK is the level of a 9-year-old. If we want to get the right information across to the most people, we need to make everything we produce accessible. This means using plain English.

Plain English has standards and guidelines to ensure readability. Every article on the Nextdoor Nature Hub is written in Plain English, and each guide is accompanied by a video explainer with subtitles.

Key points:

  • The Survey of Adult Skills (OECD) found 1 in 6 adults in the UK have “poor literacy skills” and are unable to understand complex texts
  • Writing in Plain English means that people with lower literacy skills, learning difficulties and English as a Second Language can still understand key information
  • Offering information in video/audio format is vital

The Wildlife Trusts 

The Wildlife Trusts are making the world wilder and helping to ensure that nature is part of everyone’s lives. We are a grassroots movement of 46 charities with more than 900,000 members and 38,000 volunteers. No matter where you are in Britain, there is a Wildlife Trust inspiring people and saving, protecting and standing up for the natural world. With the support of our members, we care for and restore special places for nature on land and run marine conservation projects and collect vital data on the state of our seas. Every Wildlife Trust works within its local community to inspire people to create a wilder future – from advising thousands of landowners on how to manage their land to benefit wildlife, to connecting hundreds of thousands of school children with nature every year. www.wildlifetrusts.org

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