As Nextdoor Nature comes to an end we want to celebrate the amazing communities we have worked with and the action they have taken to protect local wildlife. Nextdoor Nature set out to support communities in Swansea to take action for nature on their doorstep from urban to more rural areas. It followed a Community Organising approach putting communities at the heart of decisions. 

From bulb planting to garden renovations the project worked on small and large, with individuals to Community Centres. One of the first groups to take part was Swansea’s YMCA Youth group. They worked with Swansea Museum to enhance their outdoor space for local pollinators. “The Natural History Gallery highlights several species now on Red List for Wales. It was important therefore to consider how we try and enhance biodiversity in a practical sense.” said Matt from Swansea Museum. The youth group planted bulbs in the museum’s outdoor space which can be enjoyed by all and are a new food source for bees, butterflies and the like.   

GROW Cymru, a local women’s charity in Swansea City Centre were keen to learn about local wildlife. They asked for sessions from our Community Organising Officer, Marianne, about Swansea’s wildlife. They worked with The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales over several months to run nature-based activities for their members. The project ended with two planters outside their town office for passers-by to admire full of flowers and garden herbs. Spaces like create connectivity for pollinators traveling through Wales’s city centres. 

Whilst acting for nature there is always an opportunity to learn new skills and try something new. At Craig Cefn Parc volunteers got stuck in with building a large insect hotel out of old pallets and materials found in the area. Catherine from Mawr Community Council commented that the session “has given the volunteers the skills and tools needed to create a lasting feature in the community garden to attract wildlife. It brought the community together to create the structure with teamwork and new skills acquired so everyone felt a part of the creation”.   

Brynmill Community Centre turned a neglected outdoor space into a community gardening club, now meeting weekly. The group have harvested vegetables and fruit from apples to lettuce. Birds frequently visit the garden to peck at the raspberries. Nextdoor Nature has not only been successful in increasing biodiversity and quality of green spaces for local wildlife but in connecting people. Florence, a local who has been on Brynmill Community Centre committee for years commented that “support for our garden project has come mainly from students, who say they have benefitted from hands-on experience to add to their environmental theory learning.” The garden has brought different members of the local community together to tackle the ecological crisis.   

From one community Centre to another, Penclawdd Community Centre took an area of wet disused grassland and planted marshy grassland species. Ragged Robin, Yellow Flag Iris and Chamomile helped to attract invertebrates, amphibians and more. Local children got involved and as a result of taking part in the activity asked for help with a patch of green space at the local school. Our Community Organising Officer visited the school to help the children install a small pond and work on their vegetable patch. When considering community actions, it’s interesting to look at the ripple effect actions can have and the ability to inspire others.  

Nextdoor Nature would not have been possible without collaboration from organisations like Swansea Local Nature Partnership. One project on an underused nature area in Gendros saw our Community Organising Officer working with Swansea LNP to help locals to redesign the outdoor space. “Everyone was encouraged to contribute to the plan for the area where we focussed on native plants that support pollinators” said Kathryn from Swansea Local Nature Partnership.  

Over the two years of Nextdoor Nature what has stood out is the desire for community members to tackle disused spaces in their area. Lisa, a community member at Gendros, had been visiting the area, frequently litter picking and monitoring the fly tipping on site. After working on the space and clearing old overgrown planters she commented “I feel like we are helping wildlife to thrive, whilst claiming back a bit of green space for locals to enjoy”. Community leads are amazing individuals and can be anyone within your local community. If you are thinking of taking action on your patch there are resources available here. 

The Nextdoor Nature project has highlighted the importance of listening to and supporting communities so that they are empowered to take action and make positive changes for nature in their local area. Local people are the ones on the ground, who know their neighbourhoods and know what will work, we cannot be grateful enough to the amazing people who have been involved in Nextdoor Nature. Beth Hopkins, Engagement Management at WTSWW comments “This people-centred approach is essential to tackling the nature and climate crisis and we will be taking these principles forward and embedding them in our work longer term". The Nextdoor Nature legacy will live on throughout the trusts work and we are thankful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this project possible.