Connecting for Nature – Connecting for Community

Gardens & Greenspaces is a community that looks past the garden fence and greenspace boundary to understand how easy or difficult it is for different species to find what they need to survive and thrive in our local landscape. With just a little time and effort from each of us, individually and collectively, and at all scales, we can provide the basic needs of shelter, food and water and improve connectivity for all wildlife across Sussex.

The starting point is to recognise where you are on the journey to make space for nature and how you could move onto the next stage. Gardens & Greenspaces is not about ‘letting go’ and allowing your space to scrub up and be shaded out by trees. It is about gardening in a way that will increase opportunities for wildlife and allow more natural processes into your space. There are many ways to do this, and we will support you to understand what this means and how you can take action as a member of Weald to Waves.

You may be at the beginning of this journey and are keen to make a start. Moving from a wholly ‘conventional’ garden or greenspace where management is strict and costly (in terms of both time and money), to one that is ‘nature-friendly’ is easy to do and will not mean losing the space you, your family or your local community currently enjoys. Remember, your space is an important part of the wider landscape, and you don’t have to feel pressured to do everything at once. Consider developing your space to offer different features from your neighbours as this can help provide the complexity and diversity that is needed to support wildlife across Sussex and enrich your outside space for all who uses it.

Rewilded Garden

Artwork by Jeroen Helmer

Many of our Gardens & Greenspaces members have already started, or are well into, this journey and may have taken many actions to make their spaces more nature friendly. It may be that you are now able to explore further and consider taking your space to another level of dynamism and species richness by moving from a ‘nature-friendly’ garden or greenspace to a ‘rewilded’ one where the space becomes more complex. Whether it is the whole space or just one small section, by experimenting and adjusting your management practices you can provide a much richer mosaic of opportunities to support wildlife moving along the corridor and beyond. Again, Weald to Waves will show you how to achieve this.

Whatever the size of your pledged space, please now look at the ‘Actions for Nature’ where we consider different aspects of your gardens and greenspaces and their importance to a successful wildlife corridor. We look at boundaries, their structure and the opportunities they offer; we then think about what lies within those boundaries and what features you can provide to support wildlife.

Under each action you will be directed to resources to either help you start or go further and develop a more complex and natural space for wildlife. Go as far as you are able to, the choice is yours!

Exploring this member’s area will also give you the opportunity to find out what is going on in your local area, where there are opportunities to learn more and network with other members. Connecting our communities and learning from each other is key to supporting wildlife across Sussex.

Let’s Get Going!

Click the button below to begin your journey.