Hilary's Story
Get Thinking
Hilary’s keen observations and passion for nature highlight important themes that often get overlooked in discussions around climate change – biodiversity and ecosystems.
Bude looks very different now to 200 years ago, when it was a salt marsh bustling with biodiversity. This is a very common story all over the globe, with 77% of the world’s land having been claimed from wilderness, predominantly for farming and industry. Our need to feed a growing population has led to exploitative practices that have degraded our land and significantly damaged many ecosystems.
Did you know? Two-fifths of all plant and fungi species are on the brink of extinction
Get Inspired
We have put together some tips on what we as individuals and collectively as a community can do to have the greatest positive impact. These changes will not only improve the quality of life for everyone in our area, but also reduce contributions to worsening climate change.
Get Sharing
Stories trigger more stories,
so we hope this has sparked some of your own memories and
provided an opportunity to reflect.
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Have you ever seen any unusual or rare species around Bude?
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Is there a small natural area around you that you protect or would like to protect if you were able? What actions do you or would you take?
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Have you noticed any changes to how we experience the seasons or to wildlife behaviour over the years?
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If you have a garden, do you do anything to encourage wildlife and nature to thrive?
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Have you ever been aware of the impact of climate change on the natural world? How did this make you feel?
Get Together
If you’re part of a local group and would like to explore this theme more through additional activities, then you might like to use our ‘Hands On’ toolkits. Contact Us to find out more.
Teachers wanting to use these stories in the classroom can download additional resources here.
Dive Deeper
If you would like to understand more about what our ecosystems do for us, this United Nations site offers a good overview.
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If you want to know more about our local area, and what needs to be done, Cornwall Wildlife Trust has an in-depth assessment called ‘The State of Nature Cornwall 2020 Report’.
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If rewilding captures your imagination, and you would like to know more, please visit Rewilding Britain Page.
Get Involved
Bude is bursting at the seams with enthusiastic environmental groups and great initiatives if you want to get involved. Here’s a few relevant to the theme of Hilary’s story.
Interested in marine life in the Bude area? Bude Marine Group can help you understand the marine environment and the influences on it, so that we can protect and enhance it for the benefit of all
Thank You
We hope our suggestions and advice leave you feeling inspired. Climate change can be challenging to think and talk about, so if any of your questions haven’t been answered or you need support or you have an idea you want to pursue, then please get in touch with the Bude Climate Partnership. We’re here to help you.
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This Toolkit has been developed by Storylines.
Storylines is a Community Interest Company who use the common language of story to bring people together to share, celebrate, learn and connect. Storylines supports organisations and communities to unearth and share their own stories through bespoke story projects, digital storytelling, education, oral history, workshops, interpretation,