Overview from the Chief Executive

The year 2020/21 was one of the most challenging yet rewarding years in the Trust’s recent history. Dealing with the effects of the global

oystercatchers © Charlotte GoswellCovid-19 pandemic has dominated our year - impacting on everything

from operations to fundraising, to staff wellbeing. On the positive side, the resilience of the Trust and the loyalty of our supporters shone through, meaning that we were able to continue delivering amazing things for wildlife despite the challenges.

This was the first year of delivering our ambitious and bold Wilder 2030 strategy - launched at the end of 2019. This strategy sets out our vision for a Wilder Hampshire and Isle of Wight, where nature is recovering, wildlife is returning, damaged ecosystems are being restored, and everyone benefits from a healthier, more resilient, natural environment. To do this we need more people on nature’s side, more space for wildlife to thrive and reduced pressure on the environment. Our overarching delivery programmes ‘Team Wilder’ and ‘Wilder Land & Sea’ give shape to this ambition.

Our strategy could not have come at a more important time. The pandemic awoke a newfound connection with nature, as people took solace in their local daily walk – noticing bird song and wildflowers growing on road verges that they had ignored before. Having launched our ambition to inspire and engage with 1 in 4 people through our Team Wilder programme, we saw record numbers getting in touch, attending our online events and courses and forming groups to make their neighbourhoods wilder. Membership grew and donations continued. At the start of the year, we began preparing for a potentially huge loss of income and momentum. However, thanks in part to government support and other emergency grants and the incredible generosity of our supporters, we were able to adjust, regroup and survive.

Similarly, the boldness of our Wilder Land & Sea programme – which calls for at least 30% of our counties to be rewilded, restored and protected to help nature recover – attracted huge interest. We continued to acquire land ourselves as well as inspire others to embark on their own rewilding journey. We delivered innovative nature-based solutions to help tackle nutrient pollution and developed bold plans to bring back missing species.

The summer of 2020 was a very tough time for our staff and wildlife. At times, staff were overwhelmed by the challenge of adjusting to working from home, or not being able to, in the case of our site-based staff. A major downside of the pandemic was the increase in pressure on our nature reserves, with more littering and anti-social behaviour than ever before. We were grateful for additional support from volunteers, the authorities and funders, including the National Lottery, to help us deal with these problems.

Despite these issues, I think we can look back and be proud of what we managed to achieve in this most difficult of years. Projects continued, we embraced digital innovations, public engagement grew, and wildlife did well on most of our sites. And we were able to bring in additional income, which will help us deliver even more for nature in the coming years.

As ever, thank you for your unwavering support.

Deborah Tann Chief Executive