Staff and volunteers work really hard to keep habitat at South Walney Nature Reserves the ideal place for wildlife to rest, nest or to pass through on migration. Our host and Head of Reserves, Joe Murphy, talks to reserve volunteer, Sue Hannan, South Walney Warden, Paul Waterhouse, and Walney Bird Observatory volunteer Colin Raven.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust is taking a new approach to working with people and we're calling it Wilder Cumbria. It's about individuals, communities and organisations taking action to help nature in their area, with support from our team. Marian Jones, Head of Community joins our host, Joe Murphy, Head of Nature Reserves and they chat about the changes we're making and how this approach has worked at one of our newest nature reserves Cold Springs. We also hear from Joe Harper, Allonby Bay Community Engagement Officer, about how he's talking to people about the benefits of the Allonby Bay Highly Protected Marine Area.

What an amazing year we've had at Cumbria Wildlife Trust! In this episode we re-visit some of the staff we've talked to over the last year and hear how their nature conservation projects and community work is progressing. Hosted by Head of Nature Reserves, Joe Murphy, with guest host and CEO, Stephen Trotter.

It's been a year since Cumbria Wildlife Trust purchased Skiddaw Forest and created England's highest nature reserve. Joe, our host and Head of Nature Reserves, talks to the key people involved in the landscape scale transformation of this Lake District fell into a haven for wildlife. Listen and you'll learn about what we've discovered so far and how our 100-year vision is progressing.

This year we're celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Cumbria Wildlife Trust's ownership of Eycott Hill Nature Reserve. In this episode Joe Murphy, host and Head of Nature Reserves is joined by Kevin Scott, Northern Reserves Officer, and they chat about Eycott Hill's transformation over this time into a much wilder farmed landscape.

This month Joe is in conversation with butterfly expert Martin Wain. Now North of England Conservation Manager with Butterfly Conservation, Martin explains how butterflies are great indicators of the state of habitats. Scott Petrek, our Southern Reserves Officer introduces you to the variety of invertebrates found at Lowick Common near Ulverston, including one very special resident (clue: it’s found in Leech Tarn …)

Despite covering much of Cumbria's uplands and areas around Morecambe Bay and the Solway, many people aren't aware of this special habitat. Close-up, peatlands are full of small but beautifully formed plants including insect-eating sundews. They're also our county's most important carbon-storing habitat.

Listen to two of our peatland team, Mel and Grace, explain the work they do to restore damaged peatlands and learn more about these special places from our host and Head of Nature Reserves, Joe Murphy and his guest host and Acting Peatland Team Manager, Susie Webb.

Learn more about our beautiful grasslands, species-rich grasslands and pollinators with the help of Tanya St Pierre, from our Grasslands and Pollinators team. Recorded at our Bowber Head Farm Nature Reserve, home to one of the rarest and most threatened wildlife habitats in Cumbria: northern upland hay meadows.