Our wonderful volunteer hub in Mann Wood, Great Leighs, has had one of the main windows mindlessly smashed by vandals on Wednesday night. To protect this vital community space, we urgently need to raise funds to replace the broken window and install security cameras to deter further damage.

This is a place in which to gather - where staff, volunteers, and community members plan, learn, and support young people and vulnerable adults through nature-based programmes. Volunteers have all been involved in its development and this senseless act has shocked everyone.

We are asking for your help to raise £1,000 to cover:

Every donation, big or small, will help us restore the hub and keep it safe so we can continue our mission: connecting thousands of children, young people, and adults to the healing power of nature, improving wellbeing, resilience, and community connections in Essex.

Together, we can protect this space in our beautiful ancient woodland.

You can make a difference by donating today to the Wilderness Foundation. Through nature-based programmes, we build resilience, improve wellbeing, and inspire care for the natural environment. Our projects blend conservation and education, teaching respect for nature while developing positive relationships, life skills, and stronger communities. We engage over 7,500 people per year with the benefits and enjoyment of wild nature. Programmes develop future sustainability leaders, build resilience in vulnerable teenagers with challenging lives and mental health issues, introduce rural employment to urban youth, and bring curriculum-based sciences to life in the outdoors.