In recent weeks the Trust has received several messages from children across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight who have been doing some amazing things to get involved with nature and support wildlife during lockdown. Please read on to find out what our Wilder children have gotten up to.

Last year, Eve and a couple of her friends won the Trust's Wilder Futures Competition, receiving money to make a wilder dream a reality. Before lockdown, they started transforming a neglected piece of land into a wildlife haven and have continued their work during lockdown.

"Whilst in lockdown we built a hedgehog home however we had some small issues with the council putting it in place but hope to install the new and improved version very soon. We have also, as part of Francis Avenue being Portsmouth’s first wild street, been recruiting people who have an interest in the project."

- Eve

Read more about Frances Annie Place

A couple of children have been raising money for the Trust by cycling incredible distances. We're so grateful for their efforts and any money raised will go a long way to help us create a wilder future.

"Hi! I am Abi and I am 13 years old. I have decided to attempt to cycle a total of 874 miles to raise money for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

I have cycled along multiple different new routes in my local area, and it has been great making the most of quiet roads, and spending time with my mum out on our bikes!

I have so far reached the distance of just past Bristol, and over the summer I plan to do some long rides, and I can’t wait to get further along my journey."

- Abi

Follow Abi's progress here!

Henry and Elsie cycled over 200km to raise money for the Trust. They raised over £400 for us which will be used to help us create a wilder future. 

Watch their video here

One of our keen gardeners at a #TeamWilder school has been sowing and growing during lockdown. He earned a bit of pocket money and then decided to sell the rest of his plants with the donations going to Hayling Holiday Lunches.

"I have really enjoyed growing my own vegetables during lockdown. Some we bought from seed packs, but most exciting was taking the seeds out of the peppers and tomatoes that mummy had in the fridge and waiting for the green shoots to show! I had so many we didnt know what to do so at first I sold them in order to get some pocket money, but then I thought of families that might be struggling. I offered a local charity " the Hayling Holiday Lunches" my plants so that they could deliver them with their food parcels, but they said it would be too difficult, so instead I kept selling them from in front of my house and advertised where the money would go. I have raised just over £55 for them, and handed over the money personally. I feel so happy to be able to help families that are local to me."

St Alban's Primary school like other schools across the country had to close its doors to most students during the peak of the corona virus lockdown. However, that did not stop its students from connecting to nature and learning outside. Here're a few activities that their students got up to.

Read more about St Alban's

One child said "I enjoyed the different sounds of the nature the most. Every time it was so relaxing. I enjoyed playing free and I could be anything I wanted. One adventure I was a spy and saved the world from dangerous torpedoes, another time I was a leader troll and we explored the forest together with my family."

One student said, "My sunflowers are now 6 ft. I have loved growing them with mum and dad during lock down. I have been in the garden more due to the coronaviris, and loved it. I have been on more walks and seen a lot of nature and birds. We are going to carry on with it as I have really enjoyed it."

A parent of another student said, "The girls have been busy in the garden and the sunflowers are almost out. Here are a few photos from our front garden. 

Nature during lockdown has been amazing! We’ve been able to watch the baby birds learn to fly and see lots of different butterflies. We’ve been able to slow down and see the changes around us in more detail than ever before. I can’t believe how much about nature the girls have learnt from you [the teachers at the school], they seem to know the names of everything!""

"I chose my pattern picture for the photo competition, because I thought it looked nice and I thought it was a nice pattern. I picked my nature picture because I thought it had a nice colour and that it had a nice look. At home we use this app called bird net, what it does is listen to a bird sound, then it will show the name of the bird and what it looks like. We have heard, goldfinches, robins, and crows. We have also made a bird feeder for the garden which the goldfinches use. At home we have a book about birds around the world. We know where a local goldfinch nest is. We also see a lot of robins in the park. Me and my dad go on nature walks, on our nature walks we sometimes go down to the sea and always see at least one cuttlefish bone. Every year me and my dad go camping at the sustainability centre, we always see a few robins there. We always go on a walk there and last time we went there we saw a toad!"

- Harry

We're so pleased to see what our #TeamWilder children have been up to. They are a very important part of our wilder future plans and we can't wait to see what they do next!