We are thrilled to announce that Bentley Wildlife has partnered with Team Wilder, an initiative from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT). This collaboration marks an exciting new chapter for our group, and we can’t wait to share the benefits with you.

Bentley Wildlife is a small community group. We formed just before the pandemic and were starting to gain momentum when the lockdowns hit. Unfortunately, like many others, we lost some of our drive and community engagement during this time. Now, as we work to get Bentley Wildlife back on track, we want to begin initiating projects to protect and promote local biodiversity and reconnect with our local community.

What is Team Wilder?

Team Wilder was born from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s ambitious 10-year strategy, launched in 2019, aiming to make Hampshire and the Isle of Wight 30% wilder by 2030. The strategy has two key components: managing and rewilding more land and engaging the community to protect and create wilder spaces.

Team Wilder represents the community engagement half of this strategy. The Trust believes that for nature to recover, we need many more people on nature’s side. Studies show that if just one in four people (25%) take action, it can influence the majority to change their behaviours in favour of nature. This is the power of Team Wilder—a national movement encouraging people to connect with nature and take action to prevent further ecological decline.

Why Bentley Wildlife Joined Team Wilder

By partnering with Team Wilder, Bentley Wildlife gains access to a wealth of resources, training, and support. This will help us to:

• Get Projects Off the Ground: Team Wilder offers guidance and resources to help us start and sustain projects.
• Funding Support: If we need to raise money to initiate a project, we can use Team Wilder’s expertise in applying for grants and awards, as well as hearing about available funding.
• Promote Our Activities: They help us spread the word about our initiatives through their social media channels and newsletter.
• Training: HIWWT runs various courses throughout the year for the general public. Some of these are available to Team Wilder community groups for free, as well as online training for Wilder Community leaders.
• Network: We can connect with other Team Wilder groups across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to share ideas, inspiration, and support.

We’re really excited about this opportunity and hope that over the coming months we’ll start to make a bigger positive impact for wildlife in Bentley and surrounding areas.

Join Us and Make a Difference!

One of the first steps recommended by Team Wilder is to form a core steering group to define our objectives and guide Bentley Wildlife. We are looking for enthusiastic individuals to join this steering group. If you’re interested, please get in touch! 

For more information contact [email protected]

Together, we are #TeamWilder.