The much-loved Festival of Thrift returned to the beautiful surroundings of Kirkleatham Museum and Grounds on 4 and 5 July 2026, bringing together thousands of visitors to celebrate sustainable living, creativity, and our connection with the natural world. Daniel Harrison, Vice Chair of the Young Rewilders Networking Group, shares his highlights from the weekend.

Metrocentre has installed 10 nesting bricks with Climate Action North to support Swifts, a bird species in long-term decline.

An online screening of Clinging By A Claw has raised money to support vital conservation work aimed at protecting Scotland’s endangered wildcats, including sponsorship of a pair Margaret and Oscar.

Communities from across the North East of England will come together on 5 June for a special rewilding event at Ramside Hall Hotel. The day will celebrate nature and explore how restoring wild spaces can create a greener, wilder and more hopeful future.

The Young Rewilders Networking Group (YOUNG), run by Climate Action North, has received £20,000 in National Lottery funding through Awards for All England – Environment.

Georgina Fuller has joined Climate Action North as an ocean expert associate, bringing years of hydrography experience and a lifelong love of the sea. A wild swimmer who has swum in every sea she’s worked in, she channels her knowledge and energy to inspire people across the North of England to understand and protect the ocean.

Community rewilding isn’t just for experts or large organisations. It’s something we can all get involved in. By creating green spaces and supporting wildlife, every individual, school, business, or neighbourhood can make an impact.

Pupils in Gateshead have been making waves in the classroom thanks to Ocean Wilders, an interactive education project delivered as part of the Climate Action North Global Wilders® Awards programme.