Wild communities - Worcester Environmental Group

Acting locally, thinking globally.

Starting out life as the Villages Environmental Group, Worcester Environmental Group (WEG) is the fruitful hardwork of founder Paul Snookes, fellow co-founder Alison Morgan and the passionate local volunteers championing the city's biodiversity. It is evident that Worcester has many charming parks and green spaces but very few of these are being used productively to enhance the local biodiversity. While hiking along public footpaths in the countryside, Paul describes his view as a “monocultured green desert.” WEG’s mission is to change this by enhancing local biodiversity, educating and improving the wellbeing of local people through connection to nature.

Earth is currently facing climate and biodiversity emergencies. While both are as equally concerning, with the UK being one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, WEG’s priority is to address the latter.

Paul highlights the steep crash in the number of birds and insects in the UK and believes that native wildlife must urgently be preserved. He says that there is no better place to start than at home.

Since its establishment in 2020, WEG has directed several projects to enhance local biodiversity. It's done so with the help of volunteers, Worcester City Council, Worcester Canal Group and the RSPB. In the spring of 2020, Worcester created its first native wildflower verges in Warndon Villages, which are now home to over 30 species of wildflowers and serve as safe corridors for bugs to travel and feed. WEG is also restoring Worcester’s meadows and orchards; what began as a 50-metre stretch of land has now expanded across the city to Acornbury, Trotshill Field and Hillmeadow. The destruction of 97% of the UK’s wildflower meadows during the Second World War has adversely affected the country's biodiversity and restoring them is one to help prevent the UK’s declining wildlife.

The magical appearance of the grand southern marsh orchids, which have never been recorded in Worcester before, is a testament to the success of rewilding projects carried out by WEG. The team have worked with the RSPB to build a colony of 30 nests for sand martins on Diglis Island and host workshops at the Building Block Community Training Centre for anyone interested in learning how to build their own bird/bat boxes and hedgehog houses. In collaboration with Onside Advocacy, WEG’s latest project, Wild About Worcester, aims to bring awareness to Worcester’s biodiversity by getting locals to explore nature out their door step.

If you're interested in getting involved with any WEG projects visit the Worcester Environmental Group website for more information or call Paul on 07742 111239.