Wiltshire Wildlife Trust needs walkers to help give wildlife a future

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust calls on people in Wiltshire and Swindon to walk for wildlife this autumn. The ‘Big Wild Walk’ is a new campaign to raise funds for wildlife conservation, happening around the UK.

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust hopes to get more people involved in tackling the ecological crisis, through signing up to the Big Wild Walk campaign, running for the first time this year from 26 October to 1 November.

The Trust is asking nature-lovers to get outdoors across its stunning reserves around the county in mid-autumn, to get fit, have fun and learn more about nature - while raising money for vital projects that will help restore 30% of land across the UK for nature by 2030.

Walkers can invite their family members to join in, set up a remote relay with friends or take the challenge on their own – with three levels of participation:

1. The hedgehog: for little legs. Try 3km a day; the distance that this much-loved mammal can travel around the neighbourhood in just one night, on the prowl for food and a mate.
2. The arctic tern: for high-fliers. Attempt to cover 96,000 steps over the week. That’s the number of kilometres an arctic tern travels on migration between the UK and Antarctica each year.
3. The nature nut: for the dedicated. Walk a new nature reserve every single day of the challenge – find out more at www.wiltshirewildlife.org/reserves

All that participants need in order to take part is a way to count their steps or record their walks.

This year the Trust has teamed up with local nature enthusiast Linda De Santiz, who has been campaigning to get people out and about in nature during lockdown, to help promote the walks and encourage people to have a go.

Linda, who lives in Melksham, is a member of the Trust and has been taking photos of local nature throughout lockdown. Anyone is encouraged to take part by sharing their stories with the Trust and joining a dedicated Facebook group (search for #BigWildWalk Wiltshire Supporters Group) for daily tips, hints and support . 

The Wiltshire team is looking for more members now; join at www.wiltshirewildlife.org/big-wild-walkand receive a digital pack with a map to find the walks, as well as tips and ideas to get going with fundraising.