The Incredible Power of ReWilding with Helen Neave, Make It Wild

Nurtured by Nature

Welcome to episode 26 of the Nurtured by Nature podcast, today I'm delighted to be joined in conversation by the wonderful Helen Neave of Make it Wild.

Large Landscape level Rewilding projects are gaining momentum across the UK & Europe, but Make It Wild are taking a slightly different approach, demonstrating Rewilding is possible & scalable for those with less land.

Helen’s amazing journey provides those of us that care about nature with inspiration & many reasons to be hopeful. We explore how her own concern about the biodiversity crisis, lead to her family deciding they were determined to do something to make a difference. From this humble beginning an incredible ecosystem has evolved encompassing trees, meadows, wetlands & equally importantly local communities, their army of volunteers & numerous other passionate people supporting them in a multitude of ways, that has created an explosion in biodiversity. In just over 10 years, they've demonstrated how nature can bounce back, to the extent 1 of their sites has now been designated a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.

As a beautiful reminder that change doesn’t have to be complicated, Helen offers this simple wisdom to guide us all: “Love Nature & She’ll Love You Back”!

Learn more about Helen & Make It Wild
Helen, a retired consultant surgeon, has always been passionate about nature. As she & her husband, Chris, learnt more about the challenges facing nature, they decided they must do their bit to help & in 2011 they bought 26 acres as a family project to ‘give back to nature’.

They planted thousands of trees, sowed wild flower seeds, dug ponds & installed habitat boxes. The resulting explosion in biodiversity was stunning and inspired the couple to set up their business ‘Make it Wild’ in 2017. With the mission statement “It’s not our aim to protect nature, it’s our purpose” the business exists to support biodiversity.

Make it Wild now looks after 9 sites in North Yorkshire, UK, totalling over 400 acres, all managed entirely for nature. They’ve planted 60,000 trees, restored wildflower meadows & wetland, protected ancient woodland, & rewilded uplands, helped by their conservation grazing team of Belted Galloway cows & Exmoor ponies.

They offer a range of nature sponsorship and dedication opportunities to businesses and individuals; carbon offsetting through tree planting; woodland wellbeing activities, and an eco-friendly holiday cottage.

In February 2023 Make it Wild were awarded the Sustainability Award in the Hambleton Business Awards, and in September 2023 Helen and Chris were proud and excited to win a BBC Make a Difference Award for their work with Make it Wild.
Website: www.makeitwild.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeitwilduk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makeitwilder
TikTok: @make.it.wild

Stay at Make It Wild in their eco-friendly holiday cottage:

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