Letter: This Article Is a Wonderful Reminder of the Magic in Our Backyards

Published on: 21 Jul, 2025
Updated on: 21 Jul, 2025

From Tanya Achilleos

In response to: Never Have We Needed the Benefits of the Natural World More

I absolutely love Catherine Masterman’s article! It’s such a wonderful reminder of the magic happening right in our own backyards that we so often miss in our busy lives.

The way she describes Wildlife Trusts as revealing these hidden natural worlds makes me want to join my local chapter right away. It’s like they’re letting us in on this amazing secret – that extraordinary wildlife has been around us all along, we just needed someone to point it out.

I’ve been feeling pretty down lately watching the ancient woodland in Compton village, near my home, being cleared. It breaks my heart to think about all the little creatures losing their homes – the foxes, birds, badgers, deer and the owls we’d hear at night and mostly likely bats too.

But reading about the Wildlife Trusts’ work to create corridors and fence holes for hedgehogs gives me such hope. Maybe we can all do our small part to help our wild neighbours, even in our own gardens.

Thank you Catherine so much for sharing this beautiful piece! It’s exactly what I needed to read today. I’m definitely going to check out my local Wildlife Trust’s upcoming walks and talks – maybe I’ll discover something amazing about the nature on my doorstep that I never knew before.

After all, as the article so perfectly puts it, our wellbeing is tied to experiencing the nature around us. It’s inspired me to get back into painting wildlife – can’t wait to get started!