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2024 A challenging year — but one which saw huge progress for nature and people — says Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust




While we’ve now segued into 2025, I thought it worth looking back on some of what Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has achieved for nature in 2024 thanks to the backing and efforts of our members, donors, volunteers, staff and supporters, writes Erin McDaid, of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

The early part of 2024 saw us focusing on two major threats. The first, Ash Dieback Disease, threatens to change our landscape for ever as increasing numbers of ash trees succumb.

We spent time refining our response plan to ensure that the woodlands in our care remain havens for wildlife while being safe for visitors.

Misson Carr anti-fracking campaign celebration. Photo: Sophie Bell.
Misson Carr anti-fracking campaign celebration. Photo: Sophie Bell.

The second threat — in the form of proposals for fracking next to one of our most sensitive sites, Misson Carr in north Notts, was finally seen off — after a decade long fight alongside local campaigners.

The first quarter of the year ended on a high when we secured £875,000 Species Survival Fund support via Natural England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund for our Thriving in a Wilder Trent project.

The project will enhance and create wildlife habitats along the Trent from Willington in Derbyshire to Dunham-on-Trent on the Nottinghamshire/Lincolnshire border – including at our Besthorpe Nature Reserve.

Our Ecological Consultancy subsidiary, EMEC Ecology, also donated £275,000 of what we call ‘profit with purpose’ in support of our charitable delivery across the county.

As spring rolled on, our other subsidiary, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Trading Ltd, which runs our centres, cafes and shops, hosted a hugely successful Optics Fair at Attenborough Nature Reserve.

The Wilder Nottinghamshire Network, set up to support and inspire local action for nature, secured its 50th member group after just a few months – underling just how many people are doing their bit.

May was notable due to the election of Clare Ward, who committed to setting up a Biodiversity Taskforce to help shape key decisions, as the first ever Mayor of the new East Midlands Combined Authority.

In June we were part of the largest ever environmental march in London which looked to send a signal to politicians from all parties that we really must ‘Restore Nature Now!’.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust flying the flag in London. Photo: Megan McKay.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust flying the flag in London. Photo: Megan McKay.

At the height of summer, we launched our Meadows Appeal to raise funds to help us protect and care for the county’s precious remaining traditional hay meadows.

So generous was the support that we raised over £19,000 - almost double our original £10,000 target. Fittingly, August also saw the restoration of conservation grazing at one of our lesser-known meadow sites, Annesley Woodhouse Quarry, where volunteers had renovated the vital stock-fencing.

As Autumn arrived there was real excitement following the re-introduction of water voles at Idle Valley Nature Reserve - part of our £500,000 investment to help reverse the mammal’s fortunes.

Alongside the excitement there were real challenges as we announced our commitment to replacing a key bridge at Attenborough Nature Reserve.

Plans to extract waste ash next to Idle Valley Nature Reserve were given the go ahead despite our hard-fought objections.

On a more positive note, we calculated that we had supported farmers to improve over 250ha of wildlife habitat and were present at the opening of the Broadmarsh ‘Green Heart’ — following our long campaign for a ‘Nature First’ approach to the site’s redevelopment.

We also completed a five-year programme of reedbed creation at Attenborough.

Dozens from Nottinghamshire, including our young activists, join the march on Parliament. Photo: Megan McKay.
Dozens from Nottinghamshire, including our young activists, join the march on Parliament. Photo: Megan McKay.

As we approached the year-end, it was heartening to receive around 400 individual donations towards the bridge restoration at Attenborough - the clear love and support for our best-known site, still serving as a humbling source of motivation.

We were also excited to announce the completion of a new eel pass at Rufford Mill – to help provide access to 12km of Rainworth Water for these important and endangered fish – the latest success through our Three Rivers Restoration Project.

Our Water Vole Project team are gearing up to complete key habitat improvements and the team working on our Thriving in a Wilder Trent programme has hit the ground running.

When the scale of these projects is considered alongside the efforts of our staff and volunteers working across 40 nature reserves, our advisers supporting nature friendly farming and the ever-increasing army of people acting in their local communities – the future for the county’s wildlife looks bright in 2025 despite the challenges ahead.



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