I’m lucky enough to spend my working days talking to people who care deeply about nature, and even luckier to support those who are doing something about it. As Communications and Engagement Officer for the Wildlife Champions programme at Avon Wildlife Trust, I get a front row seat to the truly amazing community-led work that so often goes unnoticed.

The Wildlife Champions programme supports a cohort of around 20 people each year to deliver community projects for nature. We provide training, mentoring and a peer support network, helping people turn passionate ideas into practical action in the places they live and work. Champions come from across the region, sharing one common purpose: they want to make space for wildlife and bring their communities with them.

Too often, projects like these can feel lonely. People have energy and ideas, but feel unsure where to start, how to involve others, or how to overcome the inevitable hurdles. Wildlife Champions are never expected to figure it all out on their own.

Instead, they become part of a supportive network where people learn together, share challenges and celebrate wins. Someone looking for advice on what to name a new community group might swap ideas with another Champion puzzling over how to create a dead hedge in their local green space. A tricky funding question becomes easier when others share what they’ve learned. Slowly, confidence builds. Not just in individuals, but across the whole cohort.

We’re now six months into the 2025/26 programme, and it’s been an incredible journey so far. This cohort is inspiring, dedicated and resilient. They’re creating community gardens, planting for pollinators, restoring neglected spaces, running workshops, starting conversations and building a deeper love for nature in their neighbourhoods. Each action might feel small on its own, but together they’re changing our city in ways that really matter.

Bristol has a strong tradition of grassroots change and is leading the way when it comes to community action for nature. Across the city, groups, organisations and individuals are connecting, sharing knowledge and working together to make change happen. The Wildlife Champions programme is one small but important part of that bigger picture.

The Wildlife Champions are teaching me that nature recovery doesn’t always need grand schemes. Sometimes it starts with neighbours, a shared purpose and the belief that small actions, taken together, can grow into a movement.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the Wildlife Champions Programme, or you’d like to watch a short film capturing the progress of the current cohort so far, press the button below.

Wildlife Champions

The Wildlife Champions Programme is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund with thanks to National Lottery Players