Have a wildlife garden
Create a wildlife garden or a wild space supporting a range of wildlife.
Downloadable resources
You can find a downloadable version of this guide for entrants below. You'll also need your submission form to begin filling in your evidence for the three awards categories.
Who are we?
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.
Our vision
To ensure that 30% of Kent's land and sea displays increased climate resilience and contains abundant wildlife.
About Wilder Kent Awards
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.
Thank you for making a Wilder Kent
We are delighted that you are considering entering the Wilder Kent Awards and joining the other wonderful nurseries 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 you can help wildlife for as long as possible.
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 tackle 'Nature deficit disorder'
- Improve your health and wellbeing, physically and mentally
- Personal satisfaction that you have made a real difference
- Safeguard nature and wildlife for future generations
- Enjoy new experiences and learn new life and craft skills
- Spend time in fresh air and appreciate nature
Below are a few ideas for simple things you can do to achieve a Wilder Kent Award in each category:
1. Protect wildlife
Protect wildlife in your community by creating and developing new habitats that provide food, shelter and water to support nature. Work together to advocate for our natural environment.
Leave long grass
Ensure areas of long grass are left to provide wildlife habitat on site.
Install bird boxes
Install and maintain bird boxes where appropriate
Install hedgehog boxes
Install and maintain hedgehog boxes where appropriate.
Install bat boxes
Install and maintain bat boxes where appropriate.
Install minibeast homes
Install and maintain minibeast homes at all suitable places
Leave food for wildlife
Place wildlife-friendly food in your gardens during the winter months.
Go chemical free
Ensure that no chemicals are used on the gardens or wild areas.
Create a pond
Introduce a pond that will sustain a variety of wildlife.
Provide water for wildlife
Install simple water solutions for wildlife and keep them clean.
Climate-friendly gardening
Work with grounds staff to maximise the site and available spaces for wildlife.
Create a Wilder Kent committee
Create a committee made up of staff and students to meet regularly and monitor actions.
Grow your own produce
Have a community allotment or wild space and grow produce.
Contact your MP
Write to your local MP about a wildlife or climate issue.
Record wildlife
Conduct surveys, like a BioBlitz, to identify wildlife on site and monitor it.
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.
Promote recycling
Promote recycling and provide easy access to the right facilities.
Walk to nursery
Encourage parents and their children and staff to start walking to nursery.
Switch off the lights
Switch off lights and electrical equipment when not in use.
Promote composting
Actively compost food waste and use it to make things grow.
Reduce food waste
Encourage litter-free lunches and the use of non-disposable utensils.
Turn off your engines
Take actions so parents turn off car engines whilst waiting at the nursery gates.
Save water
Use water saving devices like water butts for use in nursery gardens and nature areas.
Improve energy usage
Monitor and improve your nursery's energy consumption.
Use renewable energy
Ensure that energy from renewable source is used on the nursery site.
Eliminate plastic
Create a policy to eliminate single use plastic on site and enforce it.
Buy local produce
Increase the amount of locally sourced food that is served.
Go meat free
Promote a meat free day a week and educate children on how it helps.
Reduce water consumption
Monitor and improve your nursery's water consumption.
Save paper
Use paper-saving devices in any toilets and washrooms.
Reuse and repurpose
Reuse and repurpose old materials to help wildlife.
3. Engage with nature
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.
Nominate a Wilder Kent champion
This champion would promote the awards and your actions to the rest of the nursery.
Add wildlife to the curriculum
Ensure that children have a chance to learn about Kent's wildlife while at nursery.
Provide free seeds to plant at home
Encourage pupils to grow nectar-rich plants at home and consider providing free seeds.
Inspire and collaborate
Engage with parents and the community in creating wild areas locally for all.
Get involved in our projects
Engage with campaigns and projects like Bugs Matter and Wilder Blean.
Visit us
Organise class visits to local nature reserves and sites.
Introduce Forest School
Run full 'Forest School' programmes for children and introduce them to nature as early as possible.
Take learning outdoors
Run outdoor leaning sessions often and encourage leaders to take classes outside.
Work together
Work with a local business or groups to improve multiple areas for wildlife.
Plant native
Plant native trees, hedgerows and shrubs.
Fundraise for nature
Carry out a fundraising day to help out a wildlife or conservation charity of your choice.
Be mindful in nature
Run outdoor mindfulness sessions to connect with nature.
credit: Tom Horton
Don't stop there!
These pages have given you some good ideas for how you can help Kent's wildlife and educate the next generation of nature lovers. But it doesn't end there! Check out our actions page for more ideas or come up with your own! Why not involve nearly nurseries and begin to create a network of Wilder Nurseries across your local area?
Actions The facts behind our three categories
Protect wildlife
- 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.
Sustainability and carbon reduction
- 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.
Engage with nature
- 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.
- Of 448 pupils, 90% reported they felt happier and healthier.
Submitting your application
Our awards acknowledge the work of nurseries that are helping adults and children reconnect with nature. Their action benefits us locally and helps 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 2024 award ceremony, all submission forms and supporting evidence must be submitted to us by Friday 31 May 2024
Download your submission form
You'll need your submission form to begin filling out your evidence for the three awards categories.
You can also find a downloadable version of this guide for entrants below.