Each June, The Wildlife Trusts challenge you to do one wild thing a day for 30 days. Last year around 360,000 people took part, completing millions of Random Acts of Wildness. Every one of these Random Acts of Wildness tells its own story, from heroic litter picks and epic sagas of wild walks, to calming tales of forest bathing, stargazing and cloud watching.
We asked some of last year’s participants to share their own 30 Days Wild stories.
Kim’s story
Kim and her three young children love adventure, but they felt like their outdoor time was too often lost to the cosy temptation of the sofa, a piece of cake and a television screen. Kim had fond memories of a childhood spent playing outdoors and was determined to give her children a freer and wilder childhood, with more time outside for exploring and learning about the world around them. 30 Days Wild provided the perfect opportunity to make her family wilder.
Inspired by the annual nature challenge, they spent their weekends hunting for fossils on Monmouth Beach, joined a snowdrop planting session and celebrated a birthday with a 2-minute beach clean. They even helped to rescue more than 60 crabs from a discarded plastic fishing net!
However, the real challenge came when it was time for the children to go back to school. As Kim says, “It can be hard to find time for these kinds of activities with all the usual commitments of the regular working week. Which is really when time spent amongst nature is at its most beneficial.”
Kim and her children squeezed in Random Acts of Wildness wherever they could, looking for slow worms on the walk home from school, feeding the village ducks or spotting red clover, ox-eye daisy and yellow rattle near a local play park. “It may have only been two minutes of flower hunting, but it was two minutes well spent and a lovely way to relax after a long day.”
Kim and her family saw and learnt so much during their wonderfully wild month, and it inspired them to hunt out small Random Acts of Wildness as often as they can all year round. This year they will be taking up the 30 Days Wild challenge again, aiming to share videos of their outdoor antics. You can read all about their 30 Days Wild as it unfolds on their blog.
Christine’s story
Even if you’re already pretty wild, 30 Days Wild can inspire you to try new things and help you feel more connected to the natural world.
Christine loves nature and animals, and over the years her interactions with the wild world have evolved from enjoying her garden birds to the more adventurous pursuits of wild swimming and long country walks. 30 Days Wild was a natural fit and Christine has taken part every year since it launched in 2015.
Christine committed herself to blogging about her 30 Days Wild activity every day, whatever the weather. This commitment was tested as early as day two, when the heavens opened on a trip to a local nature reserve.
“I was not dressed for rain! I stood in ballet shoes with no coat! But we decided to take a short visit to the reserve none the less. On our short walk we rescued a bumblebee who was struggling in the rain and snapped shots of beautiful wildflowers like comfrey and meadow cranesbill.”
Water continued to play a part in Christine’s wild June, as she felt the touch of drizzle on her face during a forest bathing session and got even wetter with a wild swim in the Lake District. There were drier days however, with time spent enjoying darting damselflies and soaring swallows. Sharing her wild adventures with the world made the experience even more special.
“30 Days Wild has been wonderful in focusing the mind on the nature that is all around. Also blogging everyday has been challenging but ultimately enjoyable. It feels like a real achievement. Would I do it all again? Probably. There is so much out there to see and learn.”
You can follow Christine’s 30 Days Wild adventures on her blog.
Why not share your own 30 Days Wild stories using #30DaysWild?
