Hello there. My name is Emma and I live on the Isle of Wight. A couple months ago, I came across the Trust’s Wilder strategy and immediately wanted to get involved. Over the years, I’ve participated in several fundraisers and have taken a keen interest in community projects on the island, so naturally I latched on to the idea of making our island Wilder. As you’ll read in this blog, I love a good challenge, so consider this challenge, accepted!

During the pandemic, I struggled with severe depression and isolation after losing two loved ones. I felt lost and needed something positive to focus on and the fitness challenges seemed like the perfect answer. In March, I walked 310,000 steps to raise money for the Samaritans and engaged my peers with mental health issues. I also supported others on a mental health and grief forum so that other people could get through their days. The next month I walked for Dementia UK with my pug, Doug, and my 4-year-old son. I walked even further for Prostate and Pancreatic Cancer. In August, I walked 10k for MacMillan Cancer Support.

When I wasn’t walking, I took part in a squat challenge for British Heart Foundation, did Jumping Jacks for a mental health charity and box jumps for our veterans. Last month, I also wore pink for breast cancer!

Along the way, I’ve been sharing my updates and progress on social media, hoping to get my friends and family involved. I raised £585 for various charities and have never felt happier or more supported. I started asking friends and family for donations, but soon I was sharing my stories online and getting donations from people I had never met before. My first donation of £20 from a total stranger made me feel like what I was doing was worthwhile.

These challenges gave me a purpose and were a good distraction, but along the way I also found a new hobby. My many walking challenges gave me many opportunities to explore more of the island and I’ve found a new love for nature. My son and I now love to go out exploring and in particular we enjoy the red squirrel cycle trail leading to Alverstone, Sandown Orchards. My four-year-old likes to climb the large wooden apple and pear and explore the Bern Theale Hide to watch the wildlife. We also go on woodland walks that he calls "a bear hunt" and we look for "treasure". He likes to watch the ducks go by from the hide which he calls his treehouse. I’ve also really enjoyed taking images of the wildlife I’ve found along the way, and I do my bit for wildlife by picking up litter that I see.

So, imagine my surprise and joy when I found out that the Wildlife Trust had a couple of challenges for me, too! I could be in nature and do a challenge. Earlier this year, my son and I took part in 30 Days Wild. We made a bird house and bird feeder for our garden. We got crafty and made pinecone owls, planted seeds so that we could have our own herb garden. And last month I walked 60k for the Trust’s Big Wild Walk to raise money for our wilder futures.

I've been doing fundraisers every month this year since March, and I think I’ve just about asked for all the money my friends and family will give me! I think I’ll take a break now and focus on a different type of challenge, the Wildlife Trust’s challenge of making the Isle of Wight 30% wilder by 2030. It’s the perfect next step for me as I’ve become really passionate about protecting my local wildlife. I’d love to raise awareness of the impact of our litter on local wildlife and would like to set up a group to do regular litter picks. I’m already an admin for the Facebook Group, “Sandown Canoe Lake - Save Our Fish & Birds” where we keep track of the wildlife on the lake and help detangle animals when they get caught in fishing lines.

Making 30% of our land wilder by 2030 is certainly an ambitious goal, but what is that proverb again? “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Exactly! The challenges I took part in – and completed – seemed hard at first (they are challenges after all), but you have to take one step forward before you can take the next step. Soon enough, you’ll have walked a thousand miles. Or, in this case, soon enough we’ll have achieved a wilder future!

Emma Jupe,
Isle of Wight resident and co-ordinator of Save Our Fish & Birds