We are teaming up with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to ask you to ‘plan for nature’ this Spring - and take part in our Climate Action Challenge.
Everyone that enters will have the chance to win a £50 Love to Shop Voucher, as well as a year’s membership to Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.
What do you need to do?
Take part in one of the activities below and send us a picture of what you have created.
Make sure you send your entry by Monday 30 June to be in with a chance to win!
Activities to get involved in
No matter where you live, or how much space you have outside, there is an activity that everyone can join in with.
There are three activities – choose your favourite and send us a picture of what you make. You are welcome to complete all three activities if you’d like to, and enter on multiple occasions.
Go Potty
Help the wildlife on your doorstep by creating a space to provide food and shelter to insects!
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 member's 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 about the Go Potty challenge
Pond in a Pot
If you have an outdoor space of 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 make sure 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.
Your pond will need to be wide enough for wildlife to access day or night, but apart from that you can be as creative as you’d like.
Find out more about the Pond in a Pot challenge
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 you might wan to buy a kit to get you started.
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 about the Bring Birds Back challenge
How to enter
The Climate Action Challenge is open to enter from 8 May to 30 June 2025.
We will need your name, contact details and your photo of what you have created - the online entry will only take a few minutes to complete.
Entrants must be residents of Chesterfield borough and be aged over 18 - children can ask a parent or grown up helper to enter the competition on their behalf.
Please read our Climate Action Challenge terms and conditions before entering.
If you’d like to take part, but don’t have access to the internet, please contact us on 01246 959721 to arrange an alternative way to enter.
Prize winner
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 that takes part gets a planner
Anyone who enters the challenge has the option to receive a free downloadable twelve-month planner that includes ideas of things you can do to encourage wildlife to flourish.
What else is happening?
The Climate Change Forum meets regularly, and members will be taking ideas such as those included in this challenge back to their local community groups or organisations, to inspire others to plan for nature throughout Derbyshire.
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.
You can find other ideas for planning for nature and taking action for wildlife in Derbyshire on the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust website
Find out more about joining Derbyshire Wildlife Trust