Going wild for 30 days
WITH wildlife prospering due to warmer temperatures and longer days, May is a great time to be out enjoying wildlife, but for The Wildlife Trusts it’s also become a pivotal month as we prepare for our annual Uk-wide nature challenge – 30 Days Wild.
2024 marks a decade of ‘Random Acts of Wildness’ and we’re determined it will be bigger and better than ever. At its heart, this amazing campaign is based on a simple premise – encouraging people to do something wild each day in June, but it has become so much more – making people feel happier and better connected with nature.
As we planned for the first 30 Days Wild campaign, I remember being concerned that people might not be motivated to do something each day, but I was behind the idea from the off and delighted that my concern proved unfounded. Whilst some folk might miss the odd day here or there, most remained involved throughout June.
Here at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, we embrace 30 Days Wild year on year as a wonderful opportunity to reach out to new audiences and to remind our staff, volunteers and supporters to take the time to connect with and celebrate the nature we are working to protect. Apart from the inherent delights of connecting with nature, I think one of the key reasons for the early success of the campaign has been the suggestions for Random Acts of Wildness – the range of wonderful and even weird ways you can engage with the nature all around us. The fact that The Wildlife Trusts’ UK team and individual Wildlife Trusts across the UK come up with a huge list of different ways to connect means there is always something new to try and something that will fit in around family life and other commitments.
Random Acts of Wildness can range from something as simple as enjoying your first brew of the day out in the garden or sat by an open window to enjoy the bird some and feel the breeze, to something more involved such as taking a walk by a river or visiting a local park or wood.
Down the years I’ve done too many of these random acts to list – but some of my favourites have included watching the sun come up whilst enjoying a flask of coffee at our Duke’s Wood Nature Reserve and laying down (carefully) in a meadow and watching the grasses and flowers swaying above me whilst listening to the buzzing of bees.
Back when 30 Days Wild began, our suggestion that you might organise a team meeting in a local park or meet a client or customer for a walking meeting seemed downright weird – but became normal during our shared experiences during lockdowns. 30 Days Wild serves as a great reminder not to let the connection with nature that many of us enjoyed and benefited from during the pandemic slip.
As 30 Days Wild has developed, we’ve done more to encourage people to do something positive for nature as well as to connect with it. This could be a simple as sowing seeds to attract and support pollinators or something like volunteering at a local green space.
Whilst June is close enough for us to be getting excited about 30 Days Wild, there’s still plenty of time to sign up to take part. It is completely free and if you sign up soon you will receive a pack full of inspiration and ideas to help you make the most of a magical month – with special packs available for schools, businesses and care homes too. We’ll also send you updates throughout the month to ensure you have plenty of options to go a little wild.
To sign up for your free pack visit nottinghamshirewildlife.org/30-dayswild-1