Wildlife Gardening Awards

wildlife friendly gardening

WildNet - Tom Marshall

Our Wilder Awards

How wildlife friendly is your garden?

Did you know there are an estimated 124,500 gardens across Somerset? Along with an enormous number of allotments, green spaces, and smaller outdoor areas, all of which can act as vital spaces for nature in their own right.

Gardens and growing spaces whether big or small are eligible for a Wilder Gardening Award. All you need to do is complete a simple self-assessment quiz online and then your plaque will be sent to you in the post to display with pride in your garden, encouraging neighbours to follow!

To gain a plaque, you need to demonstrate you are making an effort to welcome wildlife in different ways by including features such as providing food for wildlife throughout the year, managing your garden in a way which minimises harmful environmental impacts, providing safe places for wildlife to live, hide and hibernate, preserving water resources and provide water for wildlife to drink and as a habitat.

There are lots of actions you can take to manage your garden in a way which minimises harmful environmental impacts, and promotes long term benefits for wildlife both in your garden and beyond.
Bryony Slaymaker
Wilder Communities Manager
wildlife garden

Wildlife Friendly Garden Award

Apply for your award
A raised bed in a garden with vegetables growing

Photo: Tom Marshall

Wilder Allotment Award

Apply for your award
Two volunteers raking paths in the churchyard wildflower meadow

Libby Nye

Wilder Churches & Burial Grounds Award

Apply for your award

Wilder Community Awards

The Wilder Communities Award aims to encourage and award individual and collective action for wildlife, to which we hope all communities in Somerset will aspire. Is your community working together for wildlife? Or could you energise your community and help contribute your jigsaw piece to the Nature Recovery Network? 

We know that there are already lots of communities out there doing their bit for Nature - it would be wonderful to see their work recognised and be able to award many more Wilder Community Awards! 

Recognising that gardens, parks, allotments and churchyards are all part of the Nature Recovery Network, this award will go to communities who are together extensively taking action for nature in their gardens and community spaces. 

Need a helping hand? We can provide you with template flyers and support to encourage more members of your community to get involved.

How to achieve your award

25% of households (this can include schools, business and churches) within your village or street have obtained a Wildlife Friendly Garden Award (or Wilder Allotment or Wilder Churches & Burial Grounds Award)

AND your community has taken part in at least one community-led initiative to support wildlife. This could include a community mapping project, holding an environment day, running a wilder open garden scheme or managing a community area for wildlife. 

Community garden

Katrina Martin/2020VISION

Get in touch

Apply for an Award for your village, street or town, to receive a beautiful sign to display. 

Email us

First ever “Wilder Community” Award

We are thrilled to announce that we will be awarding Somerset’s first ever “Wilder Community” Award to Enmore, a village near Bridgwater, on Friday 19th September. 

This comes after concerted effort from Enmore Parish Council’s Wilding Enmore initiative to encourage villagers to create space for wildlife in all areas of their village. This is a fantastic achievement and we hope Enmore will inspire many more communities across Somerset to work towards their Wilder Community Award.