Well May has certainly proven how quickly things can change. From the unusually warm spell to kick the spring off, to a lovely stretch of rain to hydrate the land again. And as every year, the birds get busier, the hedgerows thicken up and light stretches further into the evenings every day.
With that in mind, we have once again gathered a few pieces of good news from the past months that felt worth sharing to our WWOOF community. No big headlines stories, but stories that offer reminders of people looking after places, nature being given a better chance and practical work quietly taking place across land and sea.
And don’t forget, if you have any good news stories from your area, please share with us so we can celebrate together!
A major nature fund for shared landscapes across Ireland
Across the Irish Sea, a new €20.8 million PeacePlus Nature programme has launched across Ireland and Northern Ireland, bringing together conservation organisations to restore habitats and support threatened species over the next four years. The project spans 23 sits and focuses on places like peatlands, wetlands and diverse grasslands, while helping species including curlew, corncrake, hen harrier, merlin and marsh fritillary.
An incredible effort, and what feels especially good is the shared care for shared landscapes. Wildlife does not stop at borders, and neither should the work of looking after it. There is something hopeful in seeing long-term cooperation built around the simple idea that these species should remain part of everyday life, not just a memory.
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Wildlife Trusts nature recovery project at Rothbury Estate
The Wildlife Trust announced that a major new research has begun at The Rothbury Estate in Northumberland, described as the biggest landscape investigation ever undertaken by The Wildlife Trusts. The estate is around 9,500 acres and the work includes wildlife acoustic monitoring, soil analysis, and wider ecological and historical study.
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A river brought back from the brink
One of the loveliest stories this month comes from the Midlands, where the River Mease has just won the UK River Prize 2026 after years of careful restoration work. Over the past 13 years, farmer, volunteers and conservation groups have worked together to help the river recover, restoring 17km of watercourse, creating 25 hectares of habitat and giving the river more space to behave like a river again. Wetlands have returned, wildlife has followed, and the whole project feels like a reminder of what can happen when people stick with a place for the long haul.
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More than 650,000 people stopped to count birds
This year’s Big Garden Birdwatch brought in more than 650,000 participants, with around 9.4 million birds counted across the UK. Run by the RSPB, the Birdwatch has been going since 1979 and remains one of the biggest wildlife surveys of its kind.
The numbers themselves are impressive, but perhaps the nicest part of the story is what they represent, hundreds of thousands of people choosing to stop for a while and notice the life around them.
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Native oyster reefs are returning to the Solent
The Solent Seaspace Project is working to restore native oyster reefs as part of a wider marine recovery effort, and this month a new milestone was reached when 20,000 native oysters were moved into a reef site in Chichester Harbour. Project partners describe it as the largest subtidal oyster reef restoration in the UK, building on earlier reed creation in the Solent. Oyster nurseries linked to the work have already supported more than 130 marine species, including European bass, critically endangered eels and seahorses.
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White-tailed eagles are set to return to Exmoor
One of the more uplifting wildlife stories this month is the news that white-tailed eagles are set to return to Exmoor. Natural England has issues a license for the next phase of reintroductions in southern England, allowing up to 20 birds to be released over the next three years.
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Have you spotted any good news?
If something positive is happening in your patch of land or community, we would love to hear about it. Click here to send us a message and help us spread a little more good news across the WWOOF community.
