by Tom Jepson
19th June 2025
Youngwilders is a national youth-led nature recovery organisation for those aged 18-30. Their dual mission is to accelerate nature recovery in the UK and involve young people in the process and the movement. In May 2025 Tom Jepson from YRN went along to one of their events to find out more…
Back in early May I attended Youngwilders first event in the north of England. The base for the weekend was the Hepple Wilds rewilding project near Morpeth. It was difficult to contain my excitement for this event, especially as I drove over the Northumberland hills in perfect sunshine. As soon as I arrived, I felt straight at home, everyone had huge smiles on their faces and it was the best welcome you could ask for. Conversation and laughter flowed for all the weekend!
Once everyone settled in (and the minibus from the train station eventually arrived!) we were all split into groups and taken on a site tour by one of the Hepple Wilds team. In just 5 years it was amazing to see the natural recovery of this 4,000-acre site. The project removed all sheep from the estate and replaced them with small groups of large grazing animals. Including Longhorn cattle, Highland cattle, Mangalica pigs, and Exmoor ponies. Hepple Wilds have removed over 13km of internal fencing which, mixed with the behaviour of the large grazers, was the perfect breeding ground for lots of natural birch regeneration. The team at Hepple Wilds have also created many wetland ponds and networks, as well as 400 acres of peat restoration. All of this has enabled nature to come straight back in, the site was full of birdsong and buzz of invertebrates!
For the rest of the weekend, I attended talks and workshops all led by inspiring young people from across the region. These ranged from a dawn chorus bird walk where we heard cuckoos and garden warblers, to a soil science workshop learning how important looking after the world under our feet is. Throughout the whole weekend I felt such a deep connection with everyone who attended as we all had that care and passion for the natural environment.
The Youngwilders team had done an amazing job of bringing together over eighty young people from across the North of England, each with their own specific niches and passions in nature. Reflecting on the weekend, I felt so encouraged and inspired by all the people I met and learnt from. To me, the rewilding world can sometimes be a very exclusive place for a specific demographic. However, Overgrowth North showed that there is huge diversity of young people passionate to make huge strides in the rewilding world. There was a real sense of community between all of us over the weekend. From sharing knowledge and information about projects across the UK too talking late into the night under the stars and around the fire.
I left the weekend with a sense of warmth and buzz at all the new connections. I felt incredibly lucky to be able to spend a night at such a beautiful location. Excited for Overgrowth North 2026!
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[Image Credits: Tom Jepson]