The Howard Bulmer Young Nature Champion Award

Timescale:

Deadline for submission of proposals 5pm, 31^st March 2025

Judging to take place in April 2025 with winner announced 28^th April

Delivery within 2025/6 to be completed by 31^st March 2026

Aims:

To promote youth engagement in local conservation and actions for nature.

To support young people to advance their knowledge, skills and experience, through the delivery of their project, possibly as a first step towards a career in nature conservation.

To make a tangible difference for nature and people in Herefordshire through the delivery of the winner’s project.

Participants:

Young people aged 16 to 25 living, working or studying in Herefordshire.

Open to all. We will accept applications that are text (handwritten or typed), pictures or diagrams or video.

Premise:

The competition is open to people aged 16 to 25, living, working or studying in Herefordshire.

There will be two tiers: ages 16 to 18 and 18 to 25.

Young people can enter as a group or individually.

Entrants submit a project proposal, based on the brief, the aim of which is to improve the county for nature and for young people. 

The Brief:

Make the change you want to see!

Your aim is to bring nature alive at one particular green space in Herefordshire, engaging visitors with nature, especially appealing to people aged 16 to 25.

Your proposal may include a change to the physical space (e.g. tree planting), digital media, printed materials, activities, events or workshops or an exhibition or performance focused upon that green space.

The site must be somewhere the public can access e.g. a nature reserve, school grounds, community green space or any private land where you can organise public access. You must secure, or be in the process of securing, permission from the landowner before submitting your proposal and this must be received in writing.

The proposal must be a project which can be delivered, from concept to completion, within one year (between May 2025 and March 2026) and within a budget of £10,000. You will have four hours per week of mentoring and support from Herefordshire Wildlife Trust staff to realise the project.

Your proposal can be submitted as a hand-written or typed document (maximum 6,000 words) or in a video (maximum length 5 minutes), supported by any number of photos, diagrams and drawings where relevant.

Submission deadline: 5pm on 31^st March 2025. Proposals should be submitted directly to Julia Morton, Youth & Wellbeing Manager, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust: j.morton@herefordshirewt.co.uk

Any queries, contact Julia at j.morton@herefordshirewt.co.uk or on 07538 832742

The Awards

The two winners (or winning groups) will receive the following:

Up to £10,000 available for the project’s delivery to include design costs; capital costs; materials etc.

Up to four hours per week of mentoring and support from Herefordshire Wildlife Trust staff to realise the project (between May 2025 and the end of March 2026).

As well as the opportunity to deliver their project, the winner(s) will be expected to:

Provide a short progress report every two months which can be comprised of a written report, photographs, video or site visit.

Provide an end of project report which can be text or video.

Present their completed project to at least 50 other young people through e.g. a presentation at a school, college or youth club.

The Project Manager: Youth & Wellbeing Manager, supported by staff from Nature Recovery and Nature Action teams