Make your life a little wilder this June with 30 Days Wild

Image Credit - Evie and Tom Photography
 

President of The Wildlife Trusts' Liz Bonnin encourages us to experience nature anew with 30 Days Wild: a month-long immersive campaign.

Throughout the month of June, The Wildlife Trusts for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside are inviting everyone to get closer to nature by taking part in 30 Days Wild.

The 30 Days Wild challenge encourages people to engage in nature-based activities

daily throughout June. 30 Days Wild offers tailored resource packs for various groups both digitally and through postal packs.

Now running for over a decade, 30 Days Wild is made possible thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery. It has attracted more than three million participants nationwide and has helped people to get outside to enjoy and connect with nature as part of their everyday lives, boosting wellness and a sense of ownership and belonging to local communities, and a responsibility for wildlife.

Liz Bonnin, President of The Wildlife Trusts, says:

“Every year I look forward to 30 Days Wild to strengthen my connection to nature, as well as to wildlife lovers across the British Isles. It makes our lives a little wilder - whether it’s through learning something new about an amazing creature or giving back to nature by turning a window box into a pollinator pit stop. You don’t have to go far to find something wonderful, especially in June when nature is on full display.”

Amy Shakeshaft, Communications and Campaigns Assistant for Lancashire Wildlife Trust, says:

“It never fails to amaze me each year just how much people enjoy simple acts for nature. We find that it’s not a ‘challenge’ for people to pledge to do one wild thing every day, or once a week, for a month.

“Sometimes it is making good on the promise to yourself, or your loved ones, that you will go on the woodland walk that you have been meaning to take, or make your own bird feeder or insect hotel for the garden. The key is allowing yourself to make space for these actions for nature in your life and re-discover the joy and sense of wellbeing that these activities gift you. 30 Days wild reminds us that we provide for nature just as nature provides for us and we love hearing from the community on social media about what they have enjoyed the most”

Research conducted into the self-reported effects of participating in the June campaign shows positive impacts on health, nature connectedness, and conservation behaviours for individuals who signed up, supporting the program's continued relevance. An independent evaluation was commissioned by Meaningful Measures to assess its continued relevance and potential improvements. It found that over half of the participants felt connected to nature through the activities they completed, with helping wildlife and wildlife-friendly gardening being particularly impactful. A good proportion of participants continued to engage in the activities after the challenge ended, showing a lasting positive impact.

Acting on this research, The Wildlife Trusts have introduced exciting new resources for this year. Family activity packs include nature-inspired trading cards to swap and collect, helping to uncover fun facts about the UK’s beautiful wildlife and where to find species like hedgehogs, butterflies and birds. This also encourages us to reduce our phone time when out and about and fully connect to the experience of being in the natural world.

This year’s challenge sees fun, distinctive, themed activities to take inspiration from each week, with no pressure to do something every single day. For example:

• Help nature where you live | Grow wildlife friendly plants, leaving food and water out for wildlife, or getting involved with a local nature group.

• Engage your senses | Learn the art of ‘bird listening’ and get familiar with your local birdsong, try forest bathing, or go on a rainbow hunt looking for items in nature of different colours.

• Learn about the amazing wildlife around us | Download our spotter guide and see how many creatures you can find, join a wildlife talk and learn from experts, or read a book about wildlife.

Get creative with nature | Start a nature journal to record what you see and hear or create a wild picture using fallen objects.

Packed with plenty of ideas and hints and tips, find out more about 30 Days Wild at https://www.lancswt.org.uk/30-days-wild. Share your discoveries, projects and wild moments on social media to join thousands of others taking part in this celebration of nature across the UK this June.