One of the great strengths of the Wildlife Trust movement is our ability to come together, share ideas, challenge each other and learn from what is working across the UK and beyond. this week, six of us from Manx Wildlife Trust travelled to Gloucestershire for The Wildlife Trusts' Big Wild Gathering 2026, a three-day event bringing together colleagues, trustees, volunteers and partners from across the federation.

Joining me were our Chair, Simon Cain, Head of Engagement Dr Carmel Croukamp, Education Officer Tiphaine Claveau, Farmland Birds Officer Rob Fisher and Biological Recorder Jenny Sharp.

In keeping with our commitment to reducing our environmental impact, we travelled by ferry on the Manannan to Liverpool before hiring a people carrier for the remainder of the journey. Unfortunately, an insurance issue meant I was unable to share the driving, leaving Rob with the unenviable task of doing it all. Thankfully, he took it in his stride - despite the horrendous traffic around Birmingham.

We arrived a day early due to the ferry timetable and volunteered to help with event logistics by managing the car park as attendees arrived. It was a small way of contributing to the event and, thanks to the efforts of the MWT team and event organisers, everything ran remarkably smoothly.

The weather from 22^nd to 25^th June was exceptionally hot. While the camping experience involved rather less sleep than I had hoped for, the quality of the sessions, conversations and networking more than compensated for it - and I guess it beats rain and mud.

A movement united by purpose

One thing that immediately struck me at Big Wild Gathering was the scale and diversity of expertise across The Wildlife Trusts movement.

Whether the topic is marine conservation, nature finance, education, health, farming, youth engagement, ecological consultancy or landscape-scale restoration, there is an extraordinary amount of knowledge and experience available. Bringing all of these people together creates a powerful environment for collaboration and innovation.

It was also a valuable opportunity to catch up with colleagues from across the federation, including my predecessor Leigh Morris, now Director for International at The Wildlife Trusts. Conversations with fellow CEOs, specialists and practitioners often prove just as valuable as the formal programme.

Tony Juniper's call for joined-up thinking

One of the standout speakers for me was Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England.

He spoke passionately about the progress that is being made for nature across Britain and shared insights from the success stories featured in his forthcoming book. What particularly resonated was his warning against siloed thinking.

Too often we separate nature from health, food, water, economics, climate or community wellbeing. In reality, these issues are inseparable.

This idea became a recurring theme throughout the gathering. Nature recovery is not a standalone environmental objective. It is intimately connected with the resilience and prosperity of society as a whole.

Systems change and the power of nature

The Systems Change session on Wednesday was one of the most thought-provoking talks I attended.

Among the many memorable contributions was a quote from Rachael Orr of Climate Outreach: "Nature is the measure people use to quantify climate change."

This struck me as particularly insightful. Most people do not experience climate change through temperature graphs or atmospheric carbon measurements. They experience it through changes in wildlife, landscapes, flooding, drought and the natural world around them.

The discussion also highlighted a challenging but important point: "The issue is political, so we need to be prepared to join the political debate."

If we want meaningful change, conservation cannot remain solely within the environmental sector. It must influence decision making at every level.

Food, farming and resilience

I always enjoy hearing Professor Tim Lang, and this gathering was no exception.

Several of his observations reinforced issues we are increasingly discussing in the Isle of Man: 

"The food system is essential to restoring wildlife."

"Ecosystems are the infrastructure for food production."

His message was clear. Nature recovery and food production must be viewed as part of the same system rather than competing priorities.

One statistic particularly caught my attention. Much of Tesco's food distribution is channelled through just 20 major distribution hubs. 20 drone targets creates serious vulnerabilities within the food system.

For an island community like ours, food resilience cannot be taken for granted. Strengthening local food production and exploring more community-based growing initiatives feels increasingly important.

This aligns strongly with our own ambitions around community food growing projects and supporting more nature-friendly farming.

Health creation, not just healthcare

The second standout speaker for me was Dr William Bird, whose work focuses on the health benefits of nature and physical activity.

This was the second time I have heard him speak and once again I found his approach fascinating.

One of his central arguments is that our healthcare system often focuses on treating disease rather than creating health.

He highlighted how chronic stress prevents recovery and damages both physical and mental wellbeing. The solution is not always found in a prescription for a drug. Sometimes it can be found outdoors.

Hearing that around a quarter of adolescents experience mental health challenges reinforces the importance of this work.

Nature has a unique role to play in supporting healthier communities, reducing pressure on healthcare systems and strengthening local economies by helping people remain healthier for longer.

As someone who regularly experiences the benefits of spending time outdoors, this message resonates strongly.

What and who is growth for?

Another powerful session featured Debbie Tann, CEO of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, who I admire greatly.

Her challenge was a simple but profound one: "What is growth, and who is it for?"

I was fascinated to hear discussion about China's use of Gross Ecosystem Product measures alongside more traditional economic indicators like GDP.

Equally striking was the statistic that globally we spend around 30 times more destroying nature than restoring it. That imbalance alone helps explain why biodiversity continues to decline despite growing awareness of the problem.

Rivers, flood management and working with nature

Freshwater restoration is an area where MWT has growing ambitions, so I was particularly interested in sessions focused on rivers and natural flood management.

The evidence presented showed that every £1 invested in nature-based solutions can generate seven times that value through reduced flood risk, improved water quality, healthier ecosystems and wider community benefits.

Several examples demonstrated how restoring natural processes can often be more cost-effective than relying solely on traditional engineering solutions.

One speaker who particularly impressed me was Wouter Helmer, co-founder of Rewilding Europe.

His advice was refreshingly simple: "People don't read reports. You need to take them to see successful projects on the ground."

I couldn't agree more.

Seeing a restored river, healthy wetland or thriving habitat in person is often far more persuasive than reading a technical report. I returned home with several useful contacts who may help inform future freshwater restoration work in the Isle of Man.

Inspiration in unexpected places

Sometimes the most memorable lessons do not come from the main stage.

On the final morning, awake far earlier than I would have liked, I wandered over to the community growing project based at Hawkwood.

A group of volunteers were constructing what looked like a highly unusual perimeter defence around a vegetable plot. A strip of weed membrane had been laid around the edge. On top sat a rope made from twisted hay netting, while an orange line was suspended roughly twenty centimetres above it.

Curious, I asked what they were doing.

The answer?

Keeping badgers out.

The rope would be soaked in chilli oil and the upper line electrified.

Whether or not this particular solution has applications in the Isle of Man, I loved what it represented. A group of enthusiastic volunteers using creativity, ingenuity and practical problem solving to protect a community food growing scheme that largely funds itself.

The project itself offered a fantastic model of local action, community ownership and resilience.

What next?

Sadly, we had to leave before the event finished in order to catch our return ferry, which meant missing some sessions, including Feargal Sharkey's keynote address. Nevertheless, the experience was hugely valuable.

Big Wild Gathering reinforced something I have believed for a long time.

The solutions to many of our biggest challenges already exist. Across the Wildlife Trust movement there are hundreds of examples of innovative projects, successful partnerships and practical action delivering real change on the ground.

Our challenge is to learn from one another, adapt those ideas to local circumstances and work together to accelerate nature's recovery.

I returned to the Isle of Man inspired, exhausted and full of ideas.

My thanks to everyone involved in organising such an excellent event, and to our own team for representing Manx Wildlife Trust so well.

I look forward to putting some of the ideas into practice.