About the event

Having a strategy is one thing, figuring out what can work in your community - or how you can make a difference - is quite another…!

That’s why Somerset Wildlife Trust and Somerset Council are joining forces to support people across the county to help nature - and adapt to our changing climate - at a local level.

Please join this online launch event - aimed at Somerset residents, community groups and parish, town & city councillors - to hear about the free ongoing support (and potential funding…) on offer, led by SWT’s ‘Wilder Communities’ team.

A second online session (see link below) exploring first steps whatever your starting point), then leads on to a wider programme of in-person local gatherings, practical skills training, knowledge-sharing and focussed support - helping communities to plan nature & climate action and make it happen!

Local action really matters - and now has the support of Somerset’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) - an evidence base and practical tool (launched in the heat of June this year!). This pulls together knowledge from Somerset’s people and organisations, identifying the most beneficial changes to make to support nature recovery throughout our communities.

This session will introduce how you can use the LNRS to:

• Influence local policies & decision making for planning, development & green infrastructure
• Identify & link up with others with shared priorities nearby
• Create a shared action plan based on the habitats & species in your area
• Increase the impact of local projects for nature & climate
• Gain support of your neighbours, local council, businesses & other organisations for climate & nature action
• Secure funding to turn ideas into reality

We hope you will join us – whether you’d have no idea where to start, have hit a ‘bump in the road’ or been doing this sort of thing for years, everyone is very welcome.

Session 2 link

Speakers:

Pippa Rayner - Wilder Engagement Coordinator at Somerset Wildlife Trust.

Pippa brings many years of experience of working with Somerset’s communities, cheering on and advising where she can using her ecology training, meadow-restoration know-how and all-round love of Somerset’s nature.

Mark Ward – Wilder Communities Manager at Somerset Wildlife Trust.

Mark leads SWT's 'Wilder Communities' team of dedicated officers in Somerset's Mendip Hills, Levels & Moors, Tone Valley and coastal landscapes and across the county. The team focus on helping local people to work together and organise their efforts to benefit nature in ways that support their community to grow and respond to change.

Steve Dury - Nature Recovery and Partnerships Manager at Somerset Council.

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