A WILDLIFE trust is celebrating one year of its youth forum - a project empowering young people to engage with nature and wildlife.

Since Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Youth Forum was launched in 2024, 30 young people - aged between 12 and 24 - have been taking part in exciting events and getting involved in creative activities as they learn more about nature and wildlife.

The forum, which is hosted by Somerset Wildlife Trust and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, supports its members to connect with nature, visit nature-rich places, get involved in the environmental politics of Somerset and have a voice within the charity.

Siân Bentley, wilder youth officer at Somerset Wildlife Trust, said: “Young people face a lot of barriers in the wildlife conservation sector.

“This project exists to remove those barriers and empower young people to connect with nature in a way that works for them.

“I’m so lucky to work in a team with these incredible young people and I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved in a year.”

The forum is co-chaired by members Rachel Hiscox and Erica Cox, who dedicate their time to chairing the forum alongside full-time work and education.

Their responsibilities include helping to host regular Youth Forum meet-ups, which take place in different parts of county every two months and always include time outside to decompress and enjoy nature-rich areas of Somerset.

Youth forum co-chair Erica said: “I love being a part of the youth forum. It's great to meet other young people who are passionate about the environment and wildlife. Every meeting is different, but I feel like I learn so much and leave the meetings feeling positive about the future of the environment.”

Co-chair Rachel added: “I second everything Erica said. It's such a fun group of people and getting to have our own ideas of what we do makes sure everyone gets something out of it. I just want to say how much I love being part of this forum.”

Throughout the past year, the forum has taken part in activities that have included: surveying and spotting wildlife with experts in the field, attending workshops, and helping to develop a brand-new Youth Strategy for Somerset Wildlife Trust.

A notable highlight of the of the forum’s activities was attending the ‘Restore Nature Now’ protest in London, which was the biggest demonstration in British history to demand action for nature.

Siân said: “It’s been a fantastic first year for the Youth Forum, and we have so many more events and activities coming up in 2025, including a trip to a rewilding site and a marine biology themed forum day.

“The forum is keen to spot some rarer wildlife species too, so we’ll be trying to make that happen! They’ve also helped shape our youth events programme, so we have activities include nature journalling and climate optimism workshops to look forward to”.

To join the Youth Forum or to find out more, email [email protected].