This year alone, we’re proud to announce that over 11,000 actions have been taken to help Essex’s wildlife thrive. Here’s a snapshot of the year’s achievements…

A buzzing success

Thanks to 796 pledges to protect pollinators, the gardens of Essex are bursting with bug hotels, bee baths, butterfly puddlers and pollinator-friendly plants. These small actions create wild stepping stones for bees, butterflies, moths and other vulnerable pollinators.

Cleaning up the county 

By picking up five pieces of litter a day, our Spring Pickers removed 36,800 bits of rubbish from the environment. This year, we had rambling groups, schools, businesses, litter-picking groups, families, and neighbours take part, as well as the Essex Wildlife Trust team.

Building a better future

3,763 letters were sent to Essex MPs voicing concerns about Part III of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and other planning-related policies with potentially damaging implications for wildlife. We will continue holding the Government accountable to their promises in 2026. 

Breathe in, breathe out

Can you feel the calm of nature? Throughout June, 2,716 people spent their time connecting with the outdoors by taking part in garden yoga, nature journaling, wildlife quizzes and more. You don’t have to be in the middle of a nature reserve to reap the benefits of the wild world; getting some fresh air for five minutes or listening to the garden birds are perfectly acceptable ways of enjoying nature.

Spotting sparrows

608 individuals took part in the House Sparrow Project by surveying their gardens, helping us to understand where and why house sparrows are declining in Essex. Through this research, we have been able to suggest ways to make your garden house sparrow-friendly. We’ve already had over 250 pledges to take part, which you can do here.

Power of the people

From rare orchids to thriving moths, we’ve received 34,945 wildlife observations through our citizen science campaigns and brand-new reporting platform, Nature Counts. Thanks to your help, we can continue building up a strong database for unique and vulnerable species in Essex.

Making waves

To protect our vital marine habitats, 738 of you used your voice to support a ban on bottom trawling in offshore Marine Protected Areas. We also celebrated the magnificent marine marvels of Essex with a mural in Walton-on-the-Naze and Coastal Creations art competition, with 172 inspiring entries. 

Thank you to everyone who took part or supported our campaigns in 2025. If you want to hear more about campaigns happening across the Trust, sign up to our email mailing list below. 

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