About us

Wild north trust

Charity aims

To promote for the benefit of the public, the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment in Northern England, including by promoting biological diversity

To advance the education of the public in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment.

our purpose

We aim to raise money to buy land in poor condition.
This could be from risk of soil erosion, pollution or low biodiversity.

Then we let nature take the lead.

Wild North Trust is particularly interested in upland areas. Peat moors act as great sponges, slowing the rate of water run-off and storing carbon as they build up layer upon layer of sphagnum mosses. Recently they have suffered from drainage, soil compaction, burning and overgrazing.

The changing climate is wreaking yet more havoc upon these uplands. Longer periods of hot weather which causes peat to dry out and be susceptible to fires. Very heavy periods of rainfall hits parched ground and runs off, taking large chunks of peat with it.

Wild North Trust aims to halt the activities causing peat to dry out or wash away. We would introduce key species which can reverse the process, such as beavers. Beavers are nature’s ecosystem engineers. They fell trees and build dams across waterways, which then develop pools, building up sediment, nutrients, plants and wildlife.

Beaver dams control floods by slowing down water movement. They improve water quality by filtering and trapping sediments which would otherwise be washed downstream. The dams allow the build-up of sphagnum once again, reducing soil and peat erosion and capturing carbon from the air.

Plants which thrive on wet peatlands include heather, cross leaved heath, tormentil, bog rosemary, carnivorous sundews. They can develop and attract species such as Emperor Moth, Green hairstreak butterflies. These are all good food for raptors such as the short-eared owl and nightjar.

Initially, grazing animals such as sheep and cattle would be removed. This would allow pioneering seedlings such as mountain ash, willow and birch to take their foothold in places which are not yet made gloriously boggy with the action of beavers.

These new trees absorb great quantities of rainfall through their roots, slowing the rapid water runoff. Once these are established enough for survival, a few grazing animals can be restored. Their grazing and browsing habits encourage new shoots and opening gaps in vegetation. Their dung fertilises the soil. They attract new plants and insects.

The great barren expanse of much of British uplands can be transformed with new life. The extinction of wildlife, the imminent collapse of ecosystems, upon which our own lives depend, can be halted and reversed.

If we act now..

meet the wild north team

Gale Blackburn

Gale grew upon the edge of the countryside and spent every holiday in the Lake District, where she developed her love of the natural world. As a former teacher she understands how much wild spaces mean to young people’s development. As a park ranger she sees first hand the changes that human impact on our planet has caused, and wants to create new places where we can reverse that process, and let people and wildlife breathe together. She loves walking, exploring, and sailing.

Jo McCoy

Jo has had a long standing interest in expanding our wild areas, since studying Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and focussing on using satellite imagery to monitor the regeneration of Scots Pine. Since then she has worked for Historic Environment Scotland, monitoring landscape change and managing digital systems. In recent years she has set up her own business wellness services, helping people to reconnect with the natural world. She enjoys yogic technology, getting out into natural spaces, hiking and sailing with her family.

In memory of
Dr Robert Blackburn

…who always remembered the newts