‘Next great leap’: grassroots movement to wild East Anglia goes national

Set up by three ‘eco-anxious’ farmers, WildEast has created UK-wide version of pledge to encourage people to restore nature Patrick Barkham Mon 20 Oct 2025 13.20 CEST

A grassroots movement to wild a fifth of East Anglia is going national with the launch of Wild Kingdom’s “map of dreams” to collect pledges and connect communities, businesses and ordinary people seeking to revive nature.

WildEast was formed five years ago when three “eco-anxious” farmers decided to commit at least a fifth of their land to nature. Since then, thousands of people have pledged to rewild gardens, school grounds, communities and businesses.

Now the group has created a national version of its map of dreams to encourage more people across Britain to take action to restore nature. Anyone can make a pledge and share pictures, tips and success stories, in what the farmers call digital “witness statements” to nature recovery.