Get involved in our Climate Action Challenge

Chesterfield Borough Council is teaming up with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to ask you to ‘plan for nature’ this Spring and take part in our Climate Action Challenge.

The Climate Action Challenge is asking you to complete one of three tasks, send us a picture of what you have created, and enter into a prize draw to win a £50 Love to Shop voucher and an annual membership to Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

Following the publication of the council’s Climate Change Delivery Plan for 2025-26 that sets out our aspirations to further develop plans for climate friendly land management including the Council’s woodland, grassland, and opportunities for carbon storage, we are launching our first ever Climate Action Challenge.

The challenge encourages everyone to play their part in creating habitats for wildlife to flourish and green spaces (however small) for insects and birds to feed and grow.

Councillor Martin Stone, cabinet member for climate change, planning and environment, said: “Taking part in the first Climate Action Challenge, could be a fun family activity to get involved in, as well as helping the environment at the same time. You don’t need to have lots of outdoor space, wherever you live, whatever space you have – from a safe and secure window area to a spacious garden we encourage anyone to take part.

“It’s a priority as a council that we do protect habitats through planning and development as well as through our mowing schedules across the borough. The Plan for Nature developed by Chesterfield Borough Council and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust highlights areas where we can work towards improving nature and habitats. All things that grow play an important role in absorbing carbon and protecting wildlife which helps our fight against climate change. Because of their size trees are particularly important.  In the last three years we have planted 14,000 trees, with 6,000 of those being in the last year. Tree planting provides numerous environmental benefits and helps to absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide.”

What do you need to do?

We are asking you to take part in one of the below activities that can be found on the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust website and take a picture of what you have created.

You will then need to send us your Climate Change Challenge entry by following this link: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/climate-challenge

We will ask you to complete a short entry form that includes your name, contact details and upload your photo – which will only take a few minutes to complete.  Images should be of what you have made only.

Activities to get involved in

Go Potty

Use a pot, an old pair of wellington boots, an old teapot or any other container, fill it with peat free compost and plant seeds or bulbs. You could also take a clipping from a friend of family members garden to grow your own plant too. Be as creative as you’d like!

If you wanted to buy plants or flowers for your containers, please ensure they are pesticide free to encourage bees and insects.

Find out more by visiting: www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/go-potty

Pond in a pot

If you have an outdoor space or any size, you could create a pond in a pot! You could use an old washing up bowl, plant pot, an old sink or any other container to make a small pond, or you could make a shallow pebble pond. Just ensure your design is watertight.

Ponds act as a great place for feeding birds, bats and hedgehogs, as well as attracting damsel and dragonflies, frogs and newts.

Find out more by visiting: www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/pond-pot

Bring birds back

Make your own bird box to encourage breeding birds in the area.

You can create your own box from old wood you may have at home, or can you buy a kit from somewhere to create your own box. There is a shortage of natural nesting sites playing a part in the decline of some of the UK’s most iconic species – so creating bird boxes, especially when accompanied by the regular supply of suitable food and water, is a positive step to take.

Find out more by visiting: www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/bring-birds-back

If you enjoy these activities, there are lots more wildlife-based activities you can join in with, visit: www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/take-action

Challenge Dates

The Climate Action Challenge will be open to enter from 8 May to 9 June 2025. Entries should be sent in via this link: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/climate-challenge, although if you don’t have access to the internet and still want to take part contact the climate change team on 01246 959 721 to arrange on alternative method of entry.

Prize

The winner will be contacted after the challenge closing date and will win a Derbyshire Wildlife Trust membership for one year, as well as a £50 Love to Shop voucher.

Members help the wildlife trust to bring vulnerable species back – from beavers to water voles, campaign for wildlife protection, restore landscapes and care for areas such as ancient woodlands and wetlands. Members also receive a wildlife magazine three times a year, packed full of tips, ideas, walks and updates on everything that’s going on near you, as well as a nature reserves guide to Derbyshire.

Everyone who takes part gets a planner

Anyone who enters the challenge and provides their email address, has the option to receive a free downloadable twelve-month planner that includes ideas of things you can do to encourage wildlife to flourish.

Chesterfield Borough Council and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust have also produced the Plan for Nature report, that outlines how we can work together to allow wildlife to be protected in the future.

The Plan for Nature, published last year (2024), also outlines how Chesterfield can lead the way in rewilding in Derbyshire, by creating a landscape where residents, industry and wildlife coexist through sustainable planning. Over time the borough’s greenspaces will increasingly thrive with pollinators, and people will feel connected to wildlife though an increase in access to nature. You can read the report online: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/media/jynjau1k/chesterfield-borough-council-a-plan-for-nature-2024.pdf

All of your completed activities can also be plotted on to Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s interactive map if you would like them to be. Find out how to do this here: www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/community-action-map-form

Find more ideas for taking action for wildlife in Derbyshire here: www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/take-action