London Wildlife Trust is working with young people to prevent them becoming involved in gun, gang and knife crime, and we’ve recently been awarded funding from the Home Office Community Fund to support this vital work.

Huge thanks to Claire Bates, apprentice at Shoot the Company, for making this film for us.  And also to the young people at the North London Muslim Community Centre for starring in it.

The Wild about Bushcraft project is focusing on providing young people with opportunities to learn new outdoor skills and connect with nature and green spaces. The project takes place at East Reservoir Community Garden in Hackney, where young people who are at risk of being involved in crime learn new skills, increase their self-esteem and have the opportunity to take part in outdoor activities.

The Trust is providing young people with unique hands-on environmental experiences in urban wildernesses. Through coordinated sessions, local young people will gain the confidence, knowledge and skills to help improve East Reservoir Community Garden - a site that used to be an inaccessible green space with no community engagement or ownership before London Wildlife Trust took it on.

The project gets the young people involved off the streets and into a space where they’re less likely to commit crime. Our staff will teach them bushcraft skills including safe fire lighting for cooking and safe knife use for activities like wood carving. This will help to address and reduce knife crime, a real issue for young people in the neighbourhood.

The project will also provide young people with positive role models in the shape of London Wildlife Trust staff. Participants will broaden their horizons through exposure to activities that are rarely accessible to young people in Hackney.

Download more information about our Wild about Bushcraft project below and find out how it's benefitted from a John Muir Award.

The John Muir Award is an environmental award scheme focused on wild places. It encourages people to connect with, enjoy, and care for the natural environment. It's the main educational initiative of the John Muir Trust.