What is the Wilder Coast Collective?
The Wilder Coast Collective led by Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Partnership, is an example of collaborative action for the benefit of our local environment and communities.
The Wilder Coast Collective is a powerful partnership of 19 organisations, all united by a shared vision: to significantly increase biodiversity and enhance community wellbeing across our beautiful Lincolnshire coastline.
Our goal is to forge a connected network of wildlife-friendly habitats, and crucially, to empower local residents to take immense pride in, and ownership of, our natural spaces.
This collective approach is key to creating sustainable and impactful change. By working together, we are able to pool resources, share expertise, and implement projects at a scale that wouldn't be possible individually.
This includes everything from habitat creation and restoration to educational initiatives that foster a deeper connection between people and nature.
The work of the Wilder Coast Collective is a testament to the power of community-led conservation, demonstrating how collective effort can lead to a more vibrant and resilient natural world for us all to enjoy.
Our current and future projects are kindly supported by East Lindsey District Council Councillors’ Community Fund and Natural England’s Nature Communities Fund.
Wilder Coast Collective Organisations
The Wilder Coast Collective consists of the following organisations.
- Buglife
- Butterfly Conservation Lincs
- Children's Links
- CLIP Wellbeing Hub for Mablethorpe and Alford
- Dance Free
- Every-One
- Greater Lincs Nature Partnership
- Green Synergy
- Lincolnshire Community & Voluntary Partnership
- Lincolnshire County Council
- Lincolnshire Outdoor Learning
- Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
- National Trust Sandilands
- Natural England
- Sutton on Sea Beachcare
- South and East Lincs Climate Action Network (SELCAN)
- South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership (SELCP)
- We are Carbon
- Wellbeing Hub for Skegness and Rural
Events
Throughout the year we have held creative nature activities for adults and children in Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea, ranging from:
- Butterfly trails and butterfly craft
- Designing & painting wildlife garden signs
- Co-creating a folk-tale wildflower character based on our flagship wildflower, Viper’s Bugloss
- Plant a wildflower for the Lincolnshire Coast
Details of any upcoming events will be added here, so keep an eye out for these.
Our Gallery
Select a gallery heading to view the images within that gallery.
Click on an image to view it in larger format and to scroll through all images in that gallery.
Participant Quotes
Below are some of the fantastic quotes people have given us for some of the projects we have done.
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A fabulous project
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Inspiring for reluctant artists
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Looking forward to seeing how it develops
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Great to be involved from the inception of the project
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Thank you for the opportunity to be involved
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Really enjoyed exploring the folk law around the flower, wonderful ideas exchanged and lots of potential for a charming costal floral character to be developed.
Contact Information
Facebook Page
You can also keep up to date with what we are doing and all the fun things we have organised and find out about future events that we are planning.
Bridging Nature and Community: The Wilder Coast Collective Report
A recent report by Enlightful Insights Consultancy on behalf of the Wilder Coast Collective, summarises "deep listening" sessions with 11 community leaders. It explores how to simultaneously increase biodiversity and enhance community wellbeing across the Lincolnshire coast. The report identifies several interconnected themes:
- Demographics: Aging Population as an Asset
The coast is characterised by a high percentage of retirees. While this places pressure on local health and social services, it also creates a significant pool of volunteer capacity, professional expertise, and time. The report suggests shifting the perspective to see these "blow-ins" (incomers) as mentors and skilled leaders for the community.
- Economic Fragility & Tourism Tensions
The local economy "runs on a knife-edge," dependent on seasonal tourism but often resenting its impact, such as parking congestion and "touristy" price points that exclude locals.
The Opportunity: A shift toward "Quality over Quantity" by developing green and heritage tourism to extend the season into spring and autumn.
Differentiation: Different towns could embrace unique identities - e.g., Skegness remaining "big and brash" while Sutton-on-Sea develops an Art Nouveau character.
- Children & Youth: Overcoming Barriers
High rates of child poverty and a lack of reliable transport create "interlocking barriers" for young people. Many local children remain disconnected from the sea, and basic swimming skills are often absent despite the coastal location. The report highlights the homeschool community as a potential group for nature-based engagement.
- Public Transport & Infrastructure
Public transport is a critical failure, with residents reporting it is nearly impossible to travel between coastal villages without a car. The report emphasises the need for:
Hyper-local nature activities that do not require long-distance travel.
Safe walking routes and better maintenance of physical infrastructure like bridges and waymarkers.
- Governance: Fighting Centralisation
There is a strong desire for "localism," where decisions are made at the lowest possible level (town councils) rather than by remote district or unitary authorities. Many leaders feel the coast lacks a coordinated lobbying voice compared to inland cities like Lincoln.
- Nature & Wellness Programming
Nature is viewed as a "coping mechanism" for mental health. Successful local initiatives include:
Forest bathing and open water swimming groups.
Sensory design: Using sound (wind chimes), smell (lavender), and touch to deepen nature connection for residents and visitors.
- Biodiversity Recovery
Positive "recovery stories" include the return of lapwings, marsh harriers, and seals. However, management tensions exist over invasive species like sea buckthorn, which some see as an "encroachment" while others suggest a "buckthorn festival" to celebrate its berries.
Interested in reading the full findings? To receive a complete copy of the report and learn more about these community insights, please send an email to David Rodger.
