Throughout our lives our family has adored the natural world, whether enjoying stunning views of our countryside landscape, experiencing the sheer joy of taking a woodland walk or learning about the breath-taking diversity of wildlife with which we share our planet.
But we are acutely aware of the impact that humans are having on every other species – plant and animal. Our rapidly growing population has meant we have grabbed more and more of the land for ourselves; land for growing food and for places to live and work. Worse still we have polluted and degraded the land and oceans. Even the climate is changing due to human impact.
We decided that instead of just worrying about it, we should do our bit to change this!
Putting it simply we wanted to create a bit more wild space. More trees, more meadows, more ponds. Once there is a place for wildlife, it arrives!
Hence, Make It Wild was born!
Our mission statement is:
We have started this project to encourage a greater knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the natural world. We want people to share in the beauty of the wild spaces we’re creating.
You will see that we offer tree and other dedications and a variety of nature-related gift items , ethical skin care products and products to support plastic-free living . The funds generated are re-invested in our nature reserve projects.
We have already planted thousands of trees and dug ponds at Sylvan Nature Reserve on land previously used for grazing. We have also planted trees at Bank Woods and will be planting many more, and digging ponds there too. We have been in the news for planting our 25,000th tree in 2019. Also in 2019, we started the restoration of a wildflower hay meadow, dug a ponds, cleaned out a stream and placed ‘leaky dams’ – all to increase habitat and support biodiversity. We have started putting up deer fence to protect our precious Ancient Woodland to encourage natural regeneration. We have launched our Carbon Mitigation through Tree Planting scheme, which has been popular for individuals and businesses alike.
We are pleased to have a luxury and eco-friendly self catering holiday cottage, so you can sleep right next to our land in glorious Nidderdale. Read more about the house, Heather Lea, here.
New for 2020 are our Meditation and Reiki retreats. Please contact us for more details.
The purchase of Dougill Grange adjoining Bank Woods during 2019 has allowed us to plant more trees, and protect more precious countryside for nature.
Do you love nature too? We would love to hear from you! Please get in touch via our Contact page. That is also the way to sign up to volunteer with us, which is a great way to spend time in the wonderful out-doors with like-minded people. If you would like to hear from us every couple of months, please subscribe to our newsletter via the form below.
Please browse our online shop – remember all proceeds go directly to support nature!
Helen and Christopher Neave
Co-founders, Make It Wild
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It's when I listen to the silence that I hear what the world is saying
Anthony T. Hincks