Positive Climate News - August 2025

This month's collection of positive climate news stories highlight how a rare bumblebee has been spotted at a nature reserve in south Wales, a community that have come together to purchase a local woodland and how volunteers in one Bristol neighbourhood are transforming its spaces to boost wellbeing and help the environment.

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1. Fly-tipped wasteland turned into community garden

Neil Collingwood, was so frustrated by a dirty and inaccessible plot of land in his town centre, that he stripped the site and helped turn it into a community garden to help attract wildlife to a forgotten area of Leek in Staffordshire.

After clearing the mess, he was joined by like-minded gardener Jack Laverick, who planted beds and flowers to create a "secret garden". "Lots of people are wandering in, sitting down, having lunch, just appreciating the plants, learning about nature," Mr Laverick said.

Find out more on the BBC website.

2. Olympian swims '3 peaks' in pollution campaign

Olympic swimmer Hector Pardoe has become the first person to swim the largest lakes in England, Scotland and Wales inside 24 hours. The 24-year-old world bronze medallist swam the lengths of Lake Windermere, Loch Lomond and Lake Bala [Llyn Tegid] and a total of 55km (34 miles).

It was a challenge inspired by the popular Three Peaks walking challenge with the aim of raising money and awareness of water pollution in the UK. "The UK is amazing at so many different sports but we're lagging so far behind as one of the worst nations in Europe for water cleanliness and safety," he said.

Find out more on the BBC Sports website.

3. Rare bumblebee spotted at nature reserve

Six years after Gwent Wildlife Trust acquired their Bridewell Common reserve on the Gwent Levels, one of the UK's rarest species of bees has been spotted at the south Wales site for the first time.

Gwent Wildlife Trust (GWT) volunteer Bob Roome, who spotted the queen bee foraging on the organisation's reserve, said it was "so rewarding" to see the team's work to restore wildlife to the area paying off.

Find out more on the Gwent Wildlife Trust website.

4. Garden set up for social prescribing wins award

Friends of Downhorn Park in Plymstock, near Plymouth, started a wildlife garden with the aim of transforming a neglected green space while providing opportunities for community volunteering and to support social prescribing.

The garden, which includes a bug hotel and flourishes without the use of pesticides, has now earned Devon Wildlife Trust's 1,000th Wildlife Garden Award. Since its launch in 2021, the Wildlife Garden Award has been used to recognise the spread of nature-friendly garden practices.

Find out more on the BBC website.

5. University birdsong project expands across county

Technology that monitors birdsong as part of conservation efforts is to be rolled out across Shropshire. The Green Box Project involves recordings via wireless boxes operated by solar panels. Recordings are uploaded to the cloud, where birds are then identified by AI. 

It is hoped the collected data could support conservation planning and contribute to national biodiversity databases.

Find out more on the BBC website.

6. Bitterns have record breeding year at reserve

A Staffordshire nature reserve has celebrated a record-breaking breeding season for one of the rarest breeding birds in the UK. Bitterns, which are part of the heron family, were once extinct in the UK but returned in the 20th Century - although by 1997 there were only 11 males recorded in the country.

However, the RSPB says bitterns have thrived at their Middleton Lakes reserve in Staffordshire this year, with two males and two confirmed nests on the reserve during the summer. The charity says at least five chicks have now fledged, but due to their "secretive nature", it can be hard to confirm the exact number of fledglings.

Find out more on the BBC website.

7. Colorado is building a wildlife overpass

Twice a year, thousands of elk, mule deer and pronghorn migrate between their seasonal ranges in Colorado. They spend their winters grazing at lower elevations and their summers in the mountains.

Colorado is building a massive new bridge to help make one busy freeway safer for all species. Construction is underway for a $15 million overpass that, once complete, is expected to be the largest wildlife crossing in the world.

Find out more on the Smithsonian Magazine website.

8. Community group raises money to buy woodland

People in Stroud have successfully raised £66,000 to purchase a local woodland. The community benefit society, Stroud Woodland, are now in the process of purchasing Slade Wood, with the hope of protecting it for future generations.

Find out more on the BBC website.

9. New national nature reserve announced in England

Over one thousand hectares of nationally rare upland habitats have been secured for nature through the creation of England's new Stiperstones Landscape National Nature Reserve. The declaration creates one of England's most significant upland conservation areas, covering 1,562 hectares of diverse landscapes shaped by unique geology. 

The reserve combines existing safeguarded sites with over 1,100 hectares of additional partner-managed land, forming a unified sanctuary for threatened wildlife and rare plant species.

Find out more on the Shropshire Wildlife Trust website.

10. Project aims to boost wildlife in neglected spaces

People living in one Bristol neighbourhood are transforming its spaces to boost wellbeing and help the environment. Volunteers working on the Really Wild Lockleaze project, set up by Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust, have planted bulbs and fruit trees and worked on woodland, ponds and hedgerows.

As well as improving the look of the suburb, the project hopes to encourage more biodiversity and is monitoring plants and animals, including bumblebees.

Find out more on the BBC website.

By Eveline Vouillemin ©