Wildlife project tackles isolation

Wild at Heart aims to use wildlife-related activities to reduce isolation and to give people the confidence to get out and about in their green spaces.

The project was awarded £396,100 by the Big Lottery Fund and will be delivered by the Wildlife Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham.

It will work with local groups and will include a mixture of activities at natural sites across Sheffield including woodlands, parks and open spaces and on Trust nature reserves.

Professional artist Jan Flamank will manage the project. She said: “It’s fantastic to be able to work specifically with older people, who are often very knowledgeable about the natural environment.

“We want to help them rekindle and share their interest in nature – especially near to where they live.”

The artist has worked extensively with older adults, including work with Age UK Sheffield and Derbyshire where she produced portraits of people that celebrated their diverse lives.

There will be a variety of activities on offer including specialist wildlife/natural history activities, such as bird-watching, fungi and tree identification; family activities with grandparents such as mini-beast safaris and den building; walking groups and more adventurous and fun activities, such as night hikes.

“By developing regular interest and hobby activities at outdoor sites and in more accessible indoor spaces, we’re really hoping to create social groups which will continue to meet and work together long after the project is over,” said Ms Flamank.

The project will run from the Trust’s head office on Stafford Road, Sheffield, but will focus mainly on the following postcode areas: S1, S2, S6, S8 and S35, which covers the South, Central and North of the city.