Southampton came alive in the most inspiring way as the first Urban Wild Festival took place in early June— a fantastic milestone organised by the tireless team behind Southampton National Park City. From the buzzing atmosphere across the city to the inspiring conversations taking place in our green spaces, it was a fantastic reminder of how our community comes together to protect, preserve, and celebrate our natural environment.
Whether it’s the volunteers gardening at St James’ Park, the litter-pickers out in all weathers, or the residents who plant pollinator-friendly flowers in their front gardens — Southampton has a lot to be proud of. These efforts, big and small, show that our city has green credentials rooted in community spirit, passion, and action.
The Urban Wild Festival was a true team effort — bringing together a host of green groups, community organisations, and local changemakers. Across venues and parks, the week long festival celebrated the city’s beautiful parks, open spaces, rivers and lakes, while championing local voices, creativity, and environmental identity.
One personal highlight for me was the Urban Wild event on Southampton Common. Ice cream in hand, I wandered between the stalls, chatting with passionate people who were generously sharing their knowledge about wildlife, conservation, and sustainability. I now know how to build a bat box — and I even learned how to identify some species that call the River Itchen home! I absolutely loved it.
The festival is part of the YouCAN (Youth for Climate and Nature) initiative, made possible through a Climate Action Fund grant from The National Lottery Community Fund. This scheme empowers young people aged 11 to 25 to lead community climate and nature projects. It was also great to meet the Guardians of the River Itchen, a group of young people who are passionate about protecting the wildlife of the river, they told me all about their citizen science which was very impressive. As someone deeply committed to tackling the nature and climate emergencies, I fully support these projects, and I’m looking forward to hosting the Guardians of the River Itchen in parliament next month.
The timing couldn’t have been better either — with World Environment Day taking place a few days later, it was a week full of awareness, action, and appreciation for our natural world. I was proud to stand up in Parliament and formally thank Christelle Blunden and everyone locally who worked so hard to help Southampton gain National Park City status, while Executive Director of the National Park City Foundation, Mark Cridge, looked on from the viewing gallery. Their efforts were nothing short of herculean, and I’ve loved being part of and supporting this journey which has been many years in the making for Southampton to become the UK’s first National Park City outside of London.
Mark Cridge commented on how great it was to hear how Southampton is inspiring other cities to follow our lead. We’re showing the UK what’s possible when a city comes together for people, nature, and the climate. Southampton’s parks, green and blue spaces are among my favourite things about our city, I grew up in the inner city, with no garden, and having access to parks and green spaces was so important to my wellbeing growing up. I’m dedicated to ensuring they are properly protected and looked after for generations to come!
