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Connecting People with Nature

We connect people with the natural world through innovative programmes.

© academy-of-danger-helena-dolby

We connect people with the natural world through innovative programmes which have helped thousands of local people, young and old, improve their lives through natural experiences and outdoor learning. We work together with over 6,000 members and 100 volunteers to create a better future for nature and people in Sheffield and Rotherham. These are some of our activities aimed at connecting people with nature.

Highlights from 2021-22

  • Features and videos showcasing the people and groups contributing to Nature Counts reached 33,509 people
  • We shared 50 good news stories online, and gained hundreds of new followers on social media.
  • We reached over 3,700 children and young people through our Outdoor Learning programme – an incredible achievement given the uncertainty over school openings during Covid 19.  We adapted some of our activities to include activities in school grounds as well as continuing to offer opportunities at the Woodland Discovery Centre, Ecclesall Woods and ‘Life on the Farm’ at Our Cow Molly.
  • Nearly 1,200 people took part in a range of face to face and online events such as ‘Nature Natters’, Art in the Garden, Sheffield Lakeland archaeology walks and Open Farm Sundays. We engaged with over 1,300 adults through a range of nature based activities, including through our green prescribing health and wellbeing programme ‘Wild at Heart’ and through local people participating in activities across 4 green spaces in Rotherham as part of our ‘Natural Neighbours’ programme. 

Highlights from 2019-20

  • Connected over 6,300 children and young people with nature.
  • Engaged over 3,000 people in our community engagement and health and wellbeing projects.
  • 900 volunteer attendances helped us deliver conservation across our nature reserves.
  • Received over 15,000 online wildlife sightings from the public after launching the recording site ‘Nature Counts’.
  • Our Wild at Heart project won a gold award in the ‘Beautiful Borders’ competition at BBC Gardeners’ World Live after impressing the judges with their entry designed to inspire people to try out simple wildlife gardening ideas in their own gardens.
  • We launched our digital engagement programme ‘Nature Adventures’,  to support our members and followers during lockdown.

Highlights from 2018-19

  • 2,000 people engaged in the Wild at Heart project
  • Over 425 people attended events across our nature reserves
  • Over 1000 engaged in Natural Neighbours activities
  • 4,600 children and young people participated in a wide range of natural play and outdoor learning
  • 600 volunteers helped us deliver conservation across our nature reserves
  • Engaged with people through our green prescribing events as part of our Wild at Heart project –
    A new contract, to deliver weekly nature activity sessions in Clifton Park, was secured with Rotherham Social Prescribing.
  • Children and young people connected with nature through our outdoor learning service-  The Eastwood Estate Park ‘Boys Club’, gave 8-13 year old Roma boys in Eastwood Village, Rotherham, the skills to become Young Rangers.

Highlights from 2017-18

  • Over 4,000 children took part in our outdoor learning activities, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, and BBC One’s The Really Wild Show presenter and The Wildlife Trusts’ Vice President Nick Baker also paid a visit to our new Academy of Danger in Greno Woods!
  • We engaged over 1,000 people in volunteering and citizen science, including helping to map Sheffeld’s bluebells through Nature Counts, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The project also had an exhibition at Weston Park Museum.
  • In its first year, Natural Neighbours – funded by The Big Lottery’s Reaching Communities programme – is already enabling communities in Rotherham to connect with local greenspaces through a Young Rangers scheme for young people in Eastwood and Closer to Nature walks for refugees and asylum seekers, delivered in partnership with the British Red Cross.
  • Once again, our Big Lottery-funded Wild at Heart project has had a huge impact on the lives of older people in Sheffield and Rotherham, with over 1,250 attendances at a range of events designed to improve health and wellbeing by connecting with nature.

Highlights from 2016-17

  • Our Wild at Heart programme delivered more than 100 sessions this year, and has helped more than 1,000 adults over 50 improve their health and wellbeing through active, natural experiences.
  • Our new Sheffield Teach Wild Network, delivered in partnership with Learn Sheffield, enables us to share best practice with education professionals and get more kids outside.
  • Since 2015 we have engaged with more than 500 teachers and trained more than 600 student teachers in outdoor learning.
  • Through our Wild Play, Wild Side and schools offerings, we have engaged with more than 3,500 children and young people this year.
  • Through our regular e-newsletters and three issues of Kingfisher magazine over the year, we keep our 6,000 members and more than 100 volunteers informed.
  • More than 500 local people signed up to do something wild every day in June as part of 30 Days Wild.

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