Case studies – what other local people are doing for nature

Find information and inspiration from our library of case studies, showcasing the efforts of local individuals and groups to improve their communities for people and wildlife.

Community groups:

Abbeydale Street Trees – Abbeydale Street Trees are working with the local community to transform Abbeydale Road into a green corridor with greater biodiversity and less air pollution. There are two primary schools along the road, churches and mosques, a really busy community, but nothing for people to enjoy along the street. And we wanted to make a difference and try to change that somehow. 🌳

Buckthorn for Brimstones Initiative – a partnership between Nether Edge and Sharrow Sustainable Transformation (NESST) and SRWT, seeking to increase the local brimstone butterfly population by planting buckthorn, the larval host plant of the species. 🦋

Greener Greenhill – A network supporting nature and climate initiatives for the Greenhill area of Sheffield. You can also see an example newsletter with lots of great idea here: Greener Greenhill newsletter 👪

Hedgehog Friendly Campus – Following a talk about hedgehogs at SRWT by guest speaker Hugh Warwick, Jo Wilkinson launched the Hedgehog Friendly Campus Programme, funded by The Hedgehog Preservation Society – now a national programme, with over 150 campuses registered. 🦔

Heeley Green Triangle – Learn about how a network of neighbours in Heeley came together to take local actions on climate change and for nature, and socialising as a community. 👪

Helping Environmental Regeneration in Broomhall (HERB) – Initially starting with greening some balconies and borders of some flats 20 years ago, HERB now manage four green spaces, working with local volunteers to improve their community and increase biodiversity. 👪

Friends of Herringthorpe Playing Fields – a Friends Of group looking after their local greenspace for the benefit of people and wildlife in the centre of Rotherham 🌳

Meersbrook and Heeley Community Gardens Map – Find out how local people created a walking trail map of 14 community gardens to encourage visits and volunteering. 🌼

Nature Recovery Sheffield Nature Heroes film – featuring Owlthorpe Fields Action Group, Kids Plant Trees, Abbeydale Street Trees, various churches from the Diocese of Sheffield, Nether Edge and Sharrow Sustainable Transformation and Greener Greenhill 📽️

Owlthorpe Fields Action Group – How an action group and their community have worked to protect threatened local green space by recording the wildlife that lives there. 👪

Wild Sharrow – Video about a community group have improved their local park for people and wildlife. 🌳

Rustlings Road Allotment Society – Making their allotments a space for nature as well as food growing. 🦔

Sheffield Litter Pickers – A local group of volunteers working hard to stop rubbish blocking up our rivers and littering our green spaces. 🗑️

Swift groups in Sheffield – Swifts were added to the UK’s red list of birds significantly under threat in 2021. Find out more about the local groups in Sheffield taking action to help them. 🐤

Swift Action: The story of S6 Swifts film 📽️

Friends of Wardsend Cemetery bird monitoring project – Learn about the group’s bird monitoring project, a monthly survey recording bird species in the cemetery in conjunction with Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust and Don Catchment Rivers Trust. 🐤

Friends of Wardsend Cemetery moth recording project – The group ran some moth recording sessions in the cemetery, which had been identified as an example of a habitat that was under-recorded for moths. 🦋

Urban greening in Sheffield – Examples of existing urban greening in Sheffield – parks, roofs, walls, verges and more. 🌼

Places of worship:

All Saints Ecclesall Churchyard Project – All Saints Ecclesall felt it was important to provide a balance between the maintenance of a functioning graveyard whilst also encouraging wildlife and diversity. In 2007 a vegetation survey was carried out, the results from which have informed management decisions that aim to enhance wildlife in the churchyard. ⛪

Christ Church Dore – The church wanted to encourage a return of naturally occurring wildlife in their churchyard, making the most out of it as a green space. They wanted to combine rewilding with encouraging community use of the churchyard as a welcoming outdoor space. ⛪

St John’s Ranmoor – Working towards Eco Church status by letting the verges grow, installing homes for wildlife and involving the congregation ⛪

St Marks Broomhill and Broomhill Environment Group – Learn about what the group did to make the green on which the church sits more nature friendly, as well as providing an outdoor resource and community space. ⛪

Businesses:

The Apple Shack – eco-friendly cafe in north Sheffield who have improved their working practices and premises for nature 📋

Kids Plant Trees – was set up by a group of (tired!) mums of young children in January 2020. They wanted something practical to do with little ones that made them feel like they were taking proactive action to help climate, nature and wildlife 📋

Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust – East Glade – East Glade centre is one of around 30 sites owned by Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust. The centre is surrounded by a circle of green lawn with a few trees and a small woodland along the edge of the site, and over the last few years they have been making improvements to the site for nature.

The Wildlife Gardening Company – Matt’s career change led to looking after nature through his gardening business 📋

New York Bagel Company – Supported the local Wood Lane allotments in Swinton to turn an unused area into a site that’s great for nature and wildlife 📋

Individuals taking action:

Anna’s Urban Garden – after noticing how nature had begun to establish new habitats in the car park surrounding her flat, Anna began adding wildflower meadows, insect and hedgehog hotels using recycled materials. Click here to watch a video of Anna’s garden. Film by Ali Farash. 👪

Helping hedgehogs in the garden – Jon and Trisha’s Rotherham garden is now a haven for prickly visitors 👪

Stop Using Glyphosate Campaign – Find out more about this local lobbying campaign calling on Sheffield City Council to stop the use of Glyphosate, a herbicide known to have significant ecological impacts, with particular concern regarding insects and other animals which depend on them for food. 👪

How-to guides

How to: Choose plants for wildlife gardening – Recommendations for plants and other resources to make your garden a haven for people and wildlife. With thanks to Ben Keywood (Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust and entomologist) and Fran Halsall (Garden Services Manager at Regather Cooperative and Nature Educator at Naturally Focused) for the use of these lists 🌼

How to: Choose peat free compost – Peat is a precious natural resource which takes thousands of years to regenerate, so it’s vitally important that it’s left in the wild where it belongs. Find out more about this and where to find peat free compost locally 🌼

How to: Protect or designate a site – Dr Nicky Rivers, Living Landscape Development Manager explains how nature sites and areas of countryside can be designated for their natural and cultural importance, including for nature conservation 🌼

How to: Understand the planning system in relation to the natural environment – Dr Nicky Rivers, Living Landscape Development Manager explains how the planning system works and can be influenced to bring benefits for nature’s recovery and connect people to nature 🌼