Act local

One of the mantras of the sustainability movement has always been to ‘think global act local’. At Careys, our focus has always been to be here for the local community first, and it has been incredible to have had so many visitors and volunteers with wonderful stories and love for where we live. This being the case I thought it worth highlighting a few local projects that have filled me with hope recently.

Perhaps the biggest change we have all seen recently is the incredible work done to forge the groundbreaking Purbeck National Nature Reserve, or PNNR. For those who don’t know our secret location at Carey, we are tucked away somewhere near to the gateway to the Isle of Purbeck, known locally as the “Purbecks”. This is an area of outstanding natural beauty and home to rich biodiversity. Launched in March last year (2020) the PNNR may have slipped under your radar but in fact, this is perhaps the most ambitious piece of land management in the South of England for many years. Bringing together 7 different landowners to form a strategic partnership that helps restore and rewild 8000 acres of land across the region that is now being called a ‘super nature reserve’.

Not far from these lands are equally ambitious plans to bring back bird species that were hunted to extinction along the South coast. In Poole Harbour, reintroduced Osprey are making a vital comeback and are frequently seen across the Purbeck river catchments bringing an unexpected tourism boom with Osprey birding boats now a regular sight along Wareham channel.

Image source: Birds of Poole Harbour

At Carey we can also count ourselves incredibly fortunate to have been visited by another of these incredible reintroduction programs – the White tailed Eagle – brought back onto the Isle of Wight in the last few years now these birds swoop their massive 2.5 metre wingspan across the whole of the South of England, even resting briefly on the walls of Careys Secret Garden last month to our absolute delight.

This year being the first year of the Planet Purbeck Festival at Careys, we are very keen to be a part of a journey back to acting locally for the benefit of us all. Whether that means our partnership with local food champions ‘The Salt Pig’ or simply offering a space for people to connect to nature through our courses and events, we feel that Careys Secret Garden is one piece of an ever-increasing puzzle of our local area becoming wilder and healthier for us all.

As our land, skies and waterways fill back up with wildlife we can begin to see something that runs deeper than simple climate solutions. This is the process of changing our thinking from destruction to becoming life-enriching. As we provide greater habitat for wildlife, as we reduce pollutants and increase regenerative farming, we start to see a real dynamic shift to people leading lives that are nested in the place that we live. This has never felt more important than over the last few years and my hope is to be part of your journey in creating a truly positive future for us all.

Simon Constantine