Staff and students from the University of Nottingham and Nottingham College joined partners at Bluecoat Aspley Academy to celebrate the Wilding Campuses Project. This collaborative project is transforming campus green spaces into vibrant habitats for wildlife.
The event marked the end of a two‑year pilot run by Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS‑UK) and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The programme brought together education providers across Nottingham to restore biodiversity and protect local natural heritage. Together, the partners created and improved wildlife-friendly areas on their campuses and encouraged students to get involved in hands-on environmental work.
Students took part in a wide range of practical activities. These included bulb planting, wildflower seeding, foraging walks, hedge laying, and building new habitats such as gabions and willow structures.
Partnership working has been key to the project’s impact. It gave students from schools, further education and higher education the chance to work side by side, support urban biodiversity, and build their environmental leadership skills.
By connecting campuses and communities across the city, the Wilding Campuses Project shows how Nottingham’s education institutions can work together to create greener spaces and long-lasting benefits for wildlife and local people.