Organise litter picks
Carry out litter picks both on your site and in the local community.
Download your entrants guide and submission form
You'll need your entrants guide for top tips on how to tick off the criteria, and your submission form to begin filling out your evidence for the three awards categories.
Who are we?
The natural world isn’t just something for us to enjoy; it sustains us. The decline in nature puts our very survival and prosperity under threat. It doesn’t have to be like this; together we can create a Wilder Kent.
Kent Wildlife Trust is the leading conservation charity in the South East and one of 46 national Wildlife Trusts. For over 60 years we have been saving and improving habitats to ensure that Kent’s wildlife can thrive and people can enjoy the natural world around them. With your help, we can continue to do this for generations to come.
Kent Wildlife Trust is working with schools, communities, developers, and local councils to ensure that we all have access to wildlife in our towns and cities and that wildlife is protected and can thrive. By supporting them to improve existing green spaces, and create new spaces, we can promote and enable people and wildlife to coexist and flourish.
Our vision:
To ensure that 30% of Kent's land and sea displays increased climate resilience and contains abundant wildlife.
- We work with landowners and developers
- We run education programmes for people of all ages
- We manage over 80 reserves and nearly 10,000ha
Wilder Kent Awards
Wildlife is in crisis. We continue to lose our most precious remnants of wild natural space and vast numbers of our insects and birds. Our existing laws are too weak and the climate and nature crisis we face is not being taken seriously enough. We need ambitious natural climate solutions that reduce and capture carbon, stop ecosystem destruction and make our towns and cities cleaner and greener.
We are delighted that you are considering entering the Wilder Kent Awards and joining the other wonderful villages, towns and cities that are doing their part to make a Wilder Kent. We can’t wait to hear about all of the ways you are helping to restore nature by taking positive action to promote a Wilder Kent.
Entering the awards
All of the award criteria are outlined in this guide and there are multiple award tiers (commendation, bronze, silver and gold) that can be achieved. The more criteria you meet, the higher your award will be.
By entering, you will be showing your ambition to connect people with nature and protect wildlife for the future. Any achievement is a helping hand for wildlife and the scheme allows you to increase your award level year on year so that you can continue to inspire your community and help wildlife to thrive.
No matter how many criteria you can meet, we would like to thank and congratulate you for your efforts in helping to create a Wilder Kent.
Why enter the Wilder Kent Awards?
There are many benefits to entering:
- Help support the health and wellbeing of the people that you serve
- Connect your local community to wildlife and help tackle 'Nature deficit disorder'
- Contribute to the national target for tackling the climate and nature crises
- Protect people and wildlife for generations to come
- Encourage wildlife in our urban environments to make them a more vibrant and diverse place to live for people and wildlife alike
- Help create a wilder Kent
Below are a few ideas for simple things you can do to achieve a Wilder Kent in each awards category:
1. Protect and restore nature
Protect wildlife in your community by safeguarding and enhancing existing habitats, and create new habitats that provide food, shelter and water to support nature. Work together to advocate for our natural environment.
You could...
You could...
'Wild' your grounds
Work with grounds staff to maximise the site and available spaces for wildlife.
Get vocal for nature
Write to your MP about a local wildlife or climate issue you and your staff are concerned about.
2. Sustainability and carbon reduction
The day to day choices we make have a direct impact on our environment. Improve the environmental sustainability of your organisation to reduce your carbon footprint.
You could...
Encourage green transport
This will help to reduce carbon emissions.
Improve energy consumption
Monitor and improve your business's energy consumption.
Become carbon neutral
Set a target of becoming a carbon neutral business and develop and implement an Action Plan.
Set up a Staff Wildlife & Climate Panel
Engage and work with staff to help to shape the business's green decisions.
Encourage food sustainability and recycling
Run campaigns to inform and educate staff around food sustainability and recycling.
3. Inspire and collaborate
Learn about the wildlife in Kent and how we can support it. Deliver activities that engage and inspire others to get involved with their natural environment and support nature.
You could...
Encourage citizen science projects
Record habitats and species in the local area. Ensure that data is sent to the Kent and Medway Biological Records Centre (KMBRC) to inform scientific research & environmental policy.
Run outdoor mindfulness sessions
Help staff to connect with nature by running outdoor mindfulness sessions.
Promote wildlife-friendly gardening
Encourage staff to take part in Wild About Gardens.
Work with others
Work with other local businesses or group to improve multiple areas for wildlife.
The facts behind our three categories
- Around 3/4 of crops require pollination by insects.
- 41% of insects face extinction.
- 30 to 50% of all species could be extinct by mid-century.
- The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world.
- Urban areas are rapidly expanding and we need to ensure that these areas support wildlife.
- The average hamburger takes 2,400 litres of water to produce.
- Lighting accounts for 15% of global electricity use. Switching to LEDs will use 90% less energy and last longer than standard lights.
- Decomposing matter in landfills produces methane gas, which contributes 34x more to climate change than CO2.
- Recycling one ton of paper saves 2,548 litres of oil, 26,498 litres of water and 2.5 cubic metres of landfill space.
- Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees.
- 95% of participants with low levels of mental wellbeing reported an improvement in their mental health in six weeks after starting a Wildlife Trust programme.
- Of 87 schools, 92% reported outdoor learning improved pupil health and wellbeing and engaged pupils with learning.
Submitting your application
Our awards celebrate the work of businesses, schools, community groups, universities, colleges, and towns/cities/villages taking action for nature. Their actions provide local benefits and help tackle the global environmental threats we all face.
Throughout your journey, please fill in your submission form to keep track of how you are meeting each of our awards’ criteria. All the while, ensure you are collecting supporting evidence. Your evidence may include photos and videos, reports, data, other certificates or press coverage.
Once you have filled out your submission form and gathered your evidence, you are ready to upload your evidence and submit!
To be considered for the 2025 award ceremony, all submission forms and supporting evidence must be submitted to us by Saturday 31 January 2026.
You can contact us for help or alternative methods at [email protected]