This may be the first time you have thought about doing something for 30 Days Wild, and you don’t quite know what it is all about. To make it simple for you, anything that is done for the good of wildlife and nature will be enough. There is so much to do and it is all so rewarding.

We are old hands with it now and do all sorts of things, which includes rescuing worms off paths, saving insects and spiders from the bath, putting up all sorts of insect houses, leaving wildflowers to grow that pop up in the borders, putting up bird boxes, encouraging others to take part and generally just getting out and enjoying wildlife.

I will be posting daily ideas for things to do and places to go to this year, something I have done for a few years now. So, if you keep an eye on Twitter (sorry, X!) you will be able to find inspirational ideas there.

If you have been doing 30 Days Wild for quite a while, or if you are just starting on your journey, then how about this for an ultimate challenge?  

The end of this month will see me doing something for both #30DaysWild and #365DaysWild for a continuous 731 days of my big challenge, since it all kicked off on July 1^st 2022. Back then, I decided I would take up a proposal that was set by one of my Facebook friends; they said I should do a ‘365 Day Nature Photo Challenge’. It took me a while to be brave enough to accept it, but now I ask many of my friends if they would be interested in starting it for themselves too. This is also my suggestion to you.

It is a great way to really see all the nature that is around you; you will be surprised when you realise how much is out there to see and enjoy, even in the depths of winter - you just have to try and get out there exploring! It is slightly easier for me, as my work sees me visiting customers gardens during the working week, but lots of my photos were taken in the garden or just on local walks where we go out with our dog. We haven’t been to really spectacular places most of the time; one of the most featured places during my challenge has been Clumber Park. We definitely haven’t done any safari trips or anything like that either.

The high point for me with my challenge was when I decided I was going to write a book showing all of the photos from my 365 day challenge, together with the wording I used when posting on my daily social media posts. I found a brilliant publisher in Green Cat Books who got it to print for me; I also decided right from the very start of my process writing this that I would not take anything from the sales it brought in. I am really proud to say that my first 365 days managed to get published as a book on 1^st March.

We even decided to further help our two favourite charities Bassetlaw Hospice and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, by paying for the publishing and book purchasing cost for the book through our work, meaning that every single penny I get from any sales is being ploughed straight back into my fundraising pot. This means I am even more proud to say that with the combined figures from publishing, purchasing and sales has now raised almost £3,500.00.

My first book has proven so popular, people have told me I need to write my year 2 sequel, watch this space on that one…!

I am hoping this has given you some sort of inspiration to start or continue your wildlife journey, but whatever you do please enjoy your #30DaysWild experience and don’t just stop enjoying it at the end of June!