Bath and North East Somerset residents are being urged to give the birds, bees and other animals in their neighbourhood a helping hand this winter by Metro Mayor Dan Norris.

Mayor Norris will learn how locals needn’t just dream of a Christmas that is kinder to the planet and wildlife when he meets some of the fifty young people in Bath and North East Somerset making a difference to local wildlife while learning crucial life skills thanks to a fifty-thousand-pound programme from The Prince’s Trust charity - fully funded by his West of England Authority.

The sixteen to twenty-five-year-olds in B&NES are learning how to make super-festive bird feeders like fat cakes to keep our feathered friends happy and full over the winter as well as other simple changes to share the holiday spirit with animals.

This is all part of a three-week training course run by The Prince’s Trust - founded in 1976 by His Majesty the King - which is seeing the West of England youngsters take part in activities including a ‘Get Started with Nature’ programme at Grow Wilder before then getting support to help them into work or go back into education.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris, who helped make a wild and festive wreath when he visited Grow Wilder on Wednesday 14th December, said: “Let’s make this year the most wildlife and nature-friendly Christmas ever. Small changes can make all the difference in reducing our environmental footprint, especially over the festive period. I’m so pleased a fifty thousand-pound cash injection from my West of England Authority means even more of the region’s talented youngsters will get the gain skills and confidence to really get back on track!”

Rosie Kinnear, Youth Development Lead at The Prince’s Trust, said: ‘It’s amazing how transformative participating in a project like this can be. Our individually tailored personal development programme combines one-to-one support with positive activities such as conservation talks and willow-weaving bird feeders at Grow Wilder. With a focus on well-being, young people build their confidence, resilience, make new friends, learn new skills and start to have a more positive mindset about planning for their future.”

The Avon Wildlife Trust, who run the Grow Wilder site, are encouraging even more people to have a wildlife-friendly Christmas this year by producing a top twelve tips factsheet.