Hi, this is Peter from the Wild Bunch.
As I write, it is raining – what a relief! Do the plants and animals that the Wild Bunch aims to support feel relief too, or are their lives simply a progression focused on survival and reproduction? As humankind finds new ways to study and understand our fellow travellers, we edge closer to answering questions like these.
Many of us have felt deep empathy for nature’s struggles this summer. One of the firefighters tackling a forest fire in Sussex, for instance, said the worst part was seeing squirrels attempting to escape the flames. The loss of insects and smaller creatures is immeasurable, and I have written before about life in the soil, where crucial microbes and fungi support larger plant life.
I have three things to say about this.
Firstly, we should do all we can to ensure our own gardens are kept nature-friendly, with shaded, damp ‘private’ corners, little or no digging, and plenty of mulch. And if your garden is a windowsill, make sure it includes bee-friendly plants such as lavender or cornflowers.
Secondly, on a wider scale, while we obviously need to be very careful not to start a fire, we can also support organisations like the Somerset Wildlife Trust in their ongoing efforts to maintain havens of biodiversity. This can mean financial support of a few pounds a month, or volunteering on one of their many excellent schemes, either as an individual or through one of their school and group programmes.
Thirdly, there is no escaping the need to come to terms with the escalating impact of a changing climate. We may hope that extreme temperatures and floods will remain rare occurrences, but everything we know about climate science suggests that we will look back on 2026 as relatively cool and predictable.
The Town Council’s draft Nature Recovery Plan aims for a ‘town where nature is thriving, visible and valued in every neighbourhood, with connected greenspaces that support wildlife, wellbeing and climate resilience’.
My view is that we need to face up to the climate and nature crisis and act on every level, and do the best we can to ensure the aspirations outlined in the Recovery Plan are met.
The Wild Bunch is run in partnership with Frome Town Council and Sustainable Frome. You can get involved by coming along to our next gathering on Thursday the 15th October from 1.30 to 3pm at Frome Town Hall, when we’ll be looking at ways to prepare your garden for the cold and wet of winter. Keep an eye on the Wild Bunch web page where we’ll be posting more information closer to the time.
