Wild Whittington is 60 acres of intensively farmed land, in Old Whittington to the north of Chesterfield. This humble site could be of major importance both to nature, and to the people of Chesterfield and Derbyshire. Why is that? 

The site is to the north of the town, at Old Whittington. It stretches between two woodlands, St Bartholomew’s woods to the south and Grasscroft ancient woodlands to the north. These woods that join to Unstone and then on down into the valley of the River Drone.   

Using rewilding, we plan to create a varied woodland habitat at Wild Whittington with areas of woodland, wetlands and small open areas of grassland.  

By creating more space for nature and improving habitat connectivity, the site will support a range of bird and bat species, as well as mammals such as foxes, badgers and hedgehogs. The rewilding of Wild Whittington will bolster a vital habitat corridor in the region and support nature’s recovery in Chesterfield and the surrounding areas. 

Wild Whittington is just one example of the ways that Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is working to defend nature. And this is thanks to generous supporters like you.

Thank you! 

Rewilding that spans a whole landscape is crucial. That is why we are investing in large-scale projects across Derbyshire that are bringing nature back.

These include Wild Peak, which is rewilding the Peak District National Park, our Derwent Forest programme which will reconnect woodlands from the National Forest in the south of the county to the Northern Forest set to be created just north of Derbyshire.

Our work on a wilder Trent just south of Derby, has seen new wetland creation and the return of beavers to Derbyshire. 

Often, when we think of nature it is ‘over there’, on a nature reserve, in parks or the countryside. But in fact, the places right around us are just as important. Our parks, our roadsides, residential streets, and business operations. All of these have great potential to be vital homes for nature. Many already are. 

Our vision for a Wilder Derbyshire is for nature to be in recovery across the county connecting existing wildlife rich spaces and growing more so that nature and residents will thrive alongside each other. 

Nature is vital to our wellbeing. Being able to access nature-rich spaces on our doorstep gives all of us a lift, increasing mental resilience, and leading to better health. Children do better with wildlife around them. We all do.  

Nature-rich places; wetlands, woodlands, moors and meadows; hold flood waters, and act as green lungs, cleaning the air we breathe, drawing down carbon. We will not survive without them.