Become a member

A large part of our income comes from grant funders, public bodies and partner organisations which is restricted to the delivery of specific projects. It is membership income from people like you - who share our vision for a thriving natural world, where Shropshire is alive with wildlife, loved by people and its wild places restored - that provides us with the confidence that our core work can go ahead. Support from our members means that we can commit to the cost of restoring lost habitats, helping declining species, giving Shropshire's wildlife a strong voice and inspiring future generations to care for nature.

We want to restore nature in Shropshire, so that our habitats and wildlife are protected for the next 60 years and beyond. To do this we have three goals:

• We want to ensure that at least 30% of land is managed for nature
• 1 in 4 people are taking meaningful action for nature
• More nature-based solutions are being adopted.

There is a huge amount to do but work is progressing. We are providing advice to more landowners and farmers about ways they can viably manage their land for nature. We have secured funding to run community empowerment projects in Telford that will help connect new audiences with nature on their doorstep. Plus we are in the process of organising a trial release of beavers into an enclosed site in Shrewsbury’s Old River Bed, to manage the wetland habitat.

Future generations need to love wildlife, for its own sake and for theirs. Children who are connected to nature are happier, healthier and more creative.

Our Natural Childhood team engage with children, young people and their families from 0 to 25 years old. Our weekly Wildlings sessions cater for our youngest supporters, providing safe, outdoor play sessions for 0-5 year olds and their carers. Whatever the weather, we foster a respect for the natural world through bug hunting, pond dipping, muddy play, building, climbing and cooking on a campfire.

With Primary Schools, we work directly with children, both in school grounds and on visits to our nature reserves, but also train and empower teachers to take learning outside the classroom regularly. Each school is different, so we take the time to build strong, trusted relationships that can fundamentally change the ethos of a school.

Our Green Influencers project and Make My Weekends Wild practical work parties allow teenagers and young adults to make a valuable contribution to conservation projects and/or local environmental issues that they care about. At the same time, young people develop knowledge, skills, resilience, and self-confidence which benefits both their wellbeing and employability.

We are committed to ensuring more land is managed for nature. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we have previously been able to acquire land. Most recently this has included 12 acres on The Stiperstones Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which created a direct wildlife corridor between the National Nature Reserve managed by Natural England and Bergum Wood – a site we helped Natural England acquire several years ago that is being reverted from conifer to broadleaves.

To reach our goal of 30% of land in Shropshire being managed for nature however, we need to look far beyond our land ownership. We are forming robust partnerships with local landowners, farmers, businesses, schools and even the Armed Forces to encourage and empower them to actively manage their land for nature now and in the future.

Charles Sinker Fields nature reserve lies below the Whitchurch leg of the Llangollen Canal, right on the edge of the 2500 acres of Fenn's, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserves. The Mosses were drained for decades to allow peat to be extracted commercially and one of the main drains ran across these peatland-edge fields. The original drains became insufficient as annual rainfall increased in recent years, so excess water collected on the fields, soon creating a haven for wetland bird species. However, during dry summers, the fields soon dry out and the wetland habitat disappears, along with the myriad of wetland wildlife.

The site has been given a makeover, thanks to funding from the BogLIFE Project. To ensure that the fields remain wet for the whole year, bunds have been created to hold water on the site, rather than allowing it to drain off onto surrounding low-lying land.

The bird hide offers clear views over an area of open water, where birds such as teal, lapwing and curlew can be seen. The remaining ditches are home to water voles and areas of sedge and rushes provide ideal habitat for other small mammals, such as wood mice, field voles and harvest mice. The hide is open to everyone, but anyone planning to visit need to complete a short online form to obtain the code. Occasionally, school groups will visit the hide, during which times, we ask other visitors to the hide to be respectful.