Wilder Streets, Wilder Lives is a community-led nature recovery project helping people transform the places where they live, learn and work into spaces that are better for wildlife and people. Working across Kent and Medway, the project supports local communities to take practical action for nature, build skills, build connections and create lasting environmental change.
Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and led by Kent Wildlife Trust alongside a partnership of community organisations, Wilder Streets, Wilder Lives will run until 2029, helping hundreds of people connect with nature and become champions for wildlife in their neighbourhoods.
About the project
Nature is declining across the UK, particularly in urban areas where access to high-quality green spaces can be limited. At the same time, many people face barriers to connecting with nature, volunteering, training opportunities and careers in the environmental sector.
Wilder Streets, Wilder Lives has been designed to address these challenges by supporting communities to lead local action for nature recovery. The project focuses on neighbourhoods facing the greatest barriers to participation, ensuring that opportunities to engage with nature are accessible, inclusive and relevant to everyone.
Led by Kent Wildlife Trust in partnership with Arches Local, Dover Big Local, Beach Creative and Ethnic Minorities in Canterbury (EMIC), Wilder Streets, Wilder Lives will support community action across Kent and Medway from 2026 to 2029.
Through a community organising approach, the programme will empower local people to shape and improve green spaces in their neighbourhoods. It will prioritise underrepresented groups, build local leadership, improve access to green careers and volunteering opportunities, and strengthen community connections through shared action for nature.
The project aims to engage more than 5,300 people, deliver over 150 activities and events, support community greening projects, and create a lasting legacy through an Urban Greening Handbook and knowledge-sharing network.
By bringing people together to take practical action for nature, Wilder Streets, Wilder Lives will help increase biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience and encourage more sustainable behaviours, while helping people feel more confident, connected and empowered within their communities.
Katrina Martin
Get in touch
Email us ([email protected])
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The challenge, and why this work matters
Wildlife across Kent is under increasing pressure from habitat loss, climate change, pollution and fragmented green spaces. Many urban communities have limited access to nature-rich environments, despite evidence showing the positive impact that nature has on health and wellbeing.
People living in underserved communities often face additional barriers to participating in environmental activities, volunteering opportunities and green careers. As a result, those who could benefit most from engaging with nature are often the least able to access it.
At the same time, local action can make a significant difference. Small changes in gardens, streets, school grounds and community spaces can create valuable habitat, improve ecological connectivity and help communities become more resilient to climate change.
Our objectives
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Create wilder neighbourhoods
Supporting communities to improve local spaces for wildlife through practical habitat creation, greening projects and community action.
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Empower local people
Providing training, volunteering opportunities, and support that help people gain confidence, skills and experience.
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Support nature recovery
Creating and improving habitats that contribute to Kent's wider nature recovery goals and support pollinators, birds and other wildlife.
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Improve wellbeing and inclusion
Reducing barriers to participation so that more people can access the benefits of nature, regardless of background or circumstance.
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Build long-term community leadership
Helping communities develop the skills, knowledge and networks needed to sustain environmental action beyond the life of the project.
Where we're working
Wilder Streets, Wilder Lives will work across Kent and Medway with focus on three main areas including Luton Arches in Chatham, Heron Ward in Herne Bay and Tower Hamlets in Dover. Activities will take place in local parks, community spaces, schools, streets, and other urban environments where small-scale action can deliver significant benefits for wildlife and people.
Project partners
Wilder Streets, Wilder Lives is delivered by Kent Wildlife Trust alongside a partnership of organisations: Dover Big Local, Beach Creative, Arches Local and Ethnic Minorities in Canterbury.
Wilder Streets, Wilder Lives is made possible through funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.
