The Leeds Wild Spaces project is working in partnership with Leeds City Council and Butterfly Conservation's Yorkshire Branch to help residents and wildlife. The project will work with local people, council officers and community groups to design and develop eight new Wild Spaces at council-managed sites.
The first Wild Space in the city was a wildflower meadow at Roundhay Park created by the council's Tropical World Leeds wildlife park with the help of Butterfly Conservation's Yorkshire Branch and Leeds City Council. Inspired by the success of that scheme, Butterfly Conservation and the council have embarked on a city-wide project to create 8 new meadows.
We recently welcomed the new Leeds Wild Spaces Project Officer Josh Shaw, from nearby Harrogate. Josh has a background in conservation and works with a number of groups to increase youth representation in the nature sector and policy. Over the course of the project, Josh will be engaging with communities to share a passion for wildlife and to inspire action outside of the project sites.
For further information and to get involved in the project please contact Josh Shaw on wildspaces@butterfly-conservation.org
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The project will create 8 new Wild Spaces in parks across the city, with a focus on wildflower meadow creation.
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250 free Wild Space packs for communities to make their own Wild Space.
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20 free community events will be run across the city to help residents connect with butterflies and moths.
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Volunteering and training opportunities will be created to help at least 100 people learn how to manage and create Wild Spaces.
Looking forward to planting in Rein Park and seeing the benefits for Butterflies!!
Friends of Rein Park
Hunslet Moor in Leeds is a huge area with a football pitch, large green space, MUGA and playground. We’re incredibly lucky to have this space on our doorstep, 10 minutes from Leeds city centre. Linking in with Wild Spaces is incredible, anything that encourages and increase the butterfly and moth population in our area, as well as educating the local children, is brilliant.
Friends of Hunslet Moor
"It’s an exciting time for the Leeds Wild Spaces Project! Temple Newsam and Roundhay Park received seeds in autumn 2025 so we’re expecting to see the first shoots emerging by the end of March and flowers by the summer . We’re also excited to start work on a further six Wild Spaces across the city, and to be working with fantastic communities and groups to get this done. If anyone in Leeds would like to get involved, we would be delighted to hear from you. You can meet some new people, learn new skills, have fun, and make a real difference for butterflies, moths and other wildlife in our city”
Josh Shaw, Project Officer
