A group of local young people have been instrumental in helping Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to tidy up the pockets of green space in the centre of their community. When litter picking is presented as a team competition, 30 bags can be filled in a remarkably short space of time! To protect their hard work, clay faces have been moulded onto nearby trees like gargoyles warding off anyone who might litter there in future. As the natural environments on their doorsteps are regenerated, the young people involved are developing an increasing sense of ownership and pride in the wild spaces they play in, as well as a renewed appreciation of the natural world.

For some of the locals, the litter pick and activity events have been their first experiences getting hands on with nature. Many children were delighted at the prospect of building a den and eating a picnic beneath a canopy of trees. A single positive experience can be all it takes to spark off a life-long love of wildlife. On the walk home participants hunted for worms and snails in the foliage; the same things which had prompted them to recoil at the beginning of the day had been transformed into of creatures of fascination! Not everyone has the opportunity to spend much time in the countryside but even in small islands of urban greenery communities can connect with, and appreciate, the bountiful wonders of nature.

Written by Lauren Darn, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.