Have you ever seen a hedgehog, a hare or a barn owl? Heard the song of a nightingale or the unmistakable call of a cuckoo? Have you stood in a summer meadow and listened to the hum of insects?
Many people haven’t. And what’s worse – many don’t realise what’s missing.
These sights and sounds were once commonplace in the English countryside. I remember them clearly from my childhood. But now, they’re a rarity. The last century has been the most destructive in human history, and much of our wildlife has disappeared in silence.
It’s time to reverse that.
A Wilding Awakening
One of the most hopeful things I’ve seen in recent years is the growing passion for wilding or rewilding as it’s sometimes called. Not just on large estates but here – in gardens, parks, and fields across the UK.
Much of that movement has been inspired by Isabella Tree and her ground-breaking book Wilding, which tells the story of Knepp – the estate she and her husband Charlie Burrell have transformed into a living, breathing experiment in ecological restoration. I had the pleasure of interviewing Isabella last year and visited Knepp myself in 2022.
Another influence was René Haller, the Swiss naturalist who wilded a degraded cement quarry in Kenya and turned it into a lush forest teeming with life. Read more about him here and here.
Inspired by these pioneers, I launched our own Wilding Weekends at Hooke Farm – not on a grand scale, but across our nine-acre garden in West Dorset, wilded over the last decade.
🎥 Introducing the Video: Wilding Weekend 2024
Now, as we approach what would have been the fourth Wilding Weekend, I’m sharing the video from our 2024 event – the third and final in the series. You can watch it below.
Last year’s Wilding Weekend brought together hundreds of people, united by a love of nature and a desire to make a difference. Visitors came for:
- Wilding tours and bee walks
- Talks by inspirational environmentalists
- Stalls selling bee-friendly plants and ecological books
- Delicious local food, homemade cakes, and ice cream
- A giant puppet show with a saving-the-planet theme
- A chance to see moths caught the night before, and released later
We raised money for Butterfly Conservation, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, and the Dorset Mammal Group. The weekends were also part of the National Garden Scheme, and we were proud to be their first fully wilded garden.
Why it Mattered
Yes, organising these weekends was a huge amount of work – and the weather worries didn’t help – so I’m relieved not to be doing it again.
But I’m immensely proud of what we created.
These events weren’t just enjoyable days out – they were a form of environmental campaigning, disguised as a community celebration. We showed people what’s possible. We proved that a wild garden can be beautiful, buzzing with life, and a haven for biodiversity.
We helped people:
- Understand what wilding means in practice
- See that even small changes can have a big impact
- Discover simple steps to help wildlife thrive at home
- Connect with like-minded people and share ideas
You can read more about the 2023 event in these blogs:
👉 Our Wilding Weekend was Wonderful (June 2023)
👉 Wilding Weekend Video (2023)
The Bigger Picture
The Wilding Weekends may have come to an end – but our mission hasn’t.
In fact, it’s more urgent than ever.
We can no longer talk about “sustainability” as if it’s enough. We need regeneration – of land, of species, of soil, of connection. And that starts not in Parliament or on the news, but in our gardens, on our windowsills, and in the wild corners of our communities.
We’ve lost too much. But if we act now, we can bring some of it back.
I’m now exploring ways of welcoming children to Hooke to learn about insects and the wild. If you’re interested in getting involved – as a teacher, guide, supporter, or participant – please get in touch.
Let’s keep wilding on the rise.
