Wilding Campuses – a regional approach to restoring nature and reconnecting people

About

Nature is under threat, and in Nottinghamshire, we have seen a 97% decline in flower-rich meadows and 90% decline in heathland since the 1920’s, and there are several species and habitats of local conservation concern. As a community, we are also increasingly disconnected from nature. With funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund and coordination from SOS UK, Wilding Campuses piloted a regional partnership approach between the University of Nottingham, Nottingham College and Bluecoat Aspley Academy. This Nottingham-based, UoN led project focused on working together across diverse education settings to restore nature into spaces where staff and students work and learn, and to reconnect a diverse urban community with the natural world. Over two years the partnership delivered 97 nature-based activities, reached 2,371 people and generated 2,743 volunteering hours. BioBlitz surveys recorded increases across every species group monitored – plants, insects, birds and fungi – and over 5 hectares of land was transformed.

Top 3 learnings 

1. Ensuring grounds teams are involved from the start, with actual capacity to support, is crucial.

2. Developing student roles to support action provides additional capacity, and real-world learning for students.

3. Building a strong partnership takes time, but the ongoing benefits are worth the investment.

SDGs

15- Life on land 

What it means to win

Winning a Green Gown Award would represent a recognition not just for the University of Nottingham, but for every partner, student, and community member who has contributed to this work. For an institution with sustainability embedded in its strategy, this award would affirm that our approach is genuinely impactful and worthy of recognition and celebration. Internally, it would boost staff, students, and volunteers morale whose dedication drives our environmental sustainability work forward. It would strengthen the case for continued institutional investment, being ambitious, being collaborative and demonstrating that this work delivers measurable outcomes and sector-leading practice. Externally, it would raise Nottingham's profile as a sustainability leader reinforcing our credibility with funders, partners, and prospective students who increasingly choose institutions that reflect their values. Above all, it would give us a platform to share what we have learned, build on it, inspiring other institutions to adopt similar approaches and contributing to a collective raising of sustainability ambition across the sector.