The Wilder Communities Project
SDC and WDC are working alongside the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust to deliver the Wilder Communities Project. £20,000 was set aside from SDC’s climate change reserve to fund the initiative throughout the 2025/26 financial year, which has enabled local green spaces and organisations to receive funding for tree, hedge and wildflower meadow planting, that they may not otherwise receive through other traditional channels.
Over the past year, the project has enabled the planting of 2,000 trees, as well as just under a hectare of wildflower planting.
An additional £22,500 has been pledged by SDC to support the project throughout 2026/27. The project is being funded by both Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Warwick District Council and is open to parish and town councils, organisations and communities across these two Districts.
The Wilder Communities Project works to improve education grounds, community green spaces and other publicly accessible areas for nature. Warwickshire Wildlife Trust has been creating and enhancing habitats with communities to help transform the environment we live in: restoring, recreating and reconnecting wildlife rich spaces for the benefit of nature and people. Enhancements are fully funded and include work such as wildflower sowing and tree and hedge planting.
A full list of eligible sites can be found below:
- School grounds – primary & secondary
- Playgroup grounds
- Social housing green spaces
- Churchyards
- Playing fields and recreation grounds that are owned by parish and town councils and community centres
- Parks e.g. those owned by District Council
- Village verges and green spaces
- Allotments
- Nursing homes (with public access to a business within the grounds)
- Local community hubs and businesses
- Village Hall and Community Centre grounds
- Shared green space, such as local multi-resident owned land
Find out more about the project on Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s website. If you’re interested in applying, please contact Olivia Williams (Olivia.Williams@wkwt.org.uk). If you are from within Stratford District, you can also contact the SDC climate emergency inbox (climate.emergency@stratford-dc.gov.uk)
The Wilder Communities Project was originally funded between 2021 and 2025 by Severn Trent as part of their Great Big Nature Boost scheme which aims to boost nature across 5000ha of land in the Severn Trent region by 2027.