Dawn OMalley, Senior Engagement Manager for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, addressed MPs, peers, environmental leaders and project partners at the parliamentary launch on 29 June. Speaking on behalf of The Wildlife Trusts, Dawn highlighted the importance of creating more inclusive pathways into the environmental sector, ensuring more people have opportunities to contribute to nature recovery. The event marked the launch of Action Asylum's expansion, supported by £1.62 million from The National Lottery Community Fund's Climate Action Fund.
Action Asylum is a national programme that brings people seeking asylum together with environmental organisations through practical conservation activities. The project helps participants develop skills, confidence and connections while making a positive contribution to nature and their local communities.
In Portsmouth, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust works alongside Portsmouth City of Sanctuary and a network of local green partners to deliver the programme. Volunteers take part in regular sessions at Southsea Green Community Garden and across Portsmouth's parks and green spaces, working alongside Portsmouth City Council's Clean and Green Team and Portsmouth Tree Wardens. Activities include tree planting, habitat restoration, beach cleans and community gardening, while larger Climate Action Events delivered with the Trust focus on projects such as coastal habitat restoration and tree planting along the Solent. Together, these activities provide hands-on opportunities to support nature recovery while developing practical conservation experience.
Dawn O'Malley, Senior Engagement Manager at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: "At the heart of our work with Action Asylum we are creating meaningful pathways into the environmental sector.
“Through hands-on conservation activities, training opportunities and shared experiences in nature, people seeking asylum can build skills, confidence and valuable practical experience while making a real contribution to wildlife and wild places.
"We know that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not always equally accessible. This partnership helps remove barriers to participation, creating welcoming opportunities for people to connect with nature and see themselves as part of the environmental sector. Just as importantly, they build confidence, develop networks and begin to see themselves as part of this sector.
"The new Skills Exchange Programme will take this even further, creating opportunities not only for participants to gain practical conservation skills and leadership experience, but also for environmental organisations to learn, grow and become more inclusive. This is about moving beyond participation towards empowerment and helping shape a conservation sector that better reflects the communities it serves.
"At a time when the climate and nature crises require urgent action, we need more people involved in nature's recovery. By creating welcoming routes into conservation, we can help remove barriers and ensure more people have the opportunity to play an active role in tackling these challenges. The result is stronger communities, a more inclusive sector and more people on the side of nature."
Action Asylum Lead Ambassador, Jane, also spoke at the event and said: "When you plant a tree, it does not matter who you are or where you came from. Your hands are in the soil, and you belong to the planet as a human being. We don't just plant trees. We plant belonging, and we plant purpose. Sanctuary is not just safety - we all need to find it somewhere. I would invite everyone to come and plant a tree with us, and see what we do."
The newly awarded funding will see Action Asylum expand from seven to ten cities across England and Wales. Thanks to National Lottery players, £1.62 million has been awarded by The National Lottery Community Fund through its Climate Action Fund programme to support this next phase of Action Asylum. Nationally, more than 3,000 volunteers will be involved over the next three years, with 120 large-scale Climate Action Events planned and a new Skills Exchange Programme designed to support pathways into conservation and green careers. Participants will be able to gain practical environmental skills, qualifications and leadership experience, while environmental organisations will benefit from training to help make the sector more inclusive and accessible.
Research by the University of Nottingham found that Action Asylum delivers measurable benefits for participants' wellbeing, confidence and sense of belonging, demonstrating how nature-based volunteering can support both people and communities.
For Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, the project also contributes to tackling the climate and nature crises. The Wildlife Trusts recognise that these challenges are closely linked, and that restoring habitats and engaging more people in nature's recovery are both essential to creating a healthier, more resilient future. Through Action Asylum, participants are helping wildlife while demonstrating how environmental action can create opportunities, build understanding and bring people together through a shared commitment to nature.
As the programme enters its next phase, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust looks forward to continuing its work with partners across Portsmouth, helping more people connect with nature, develop new skills and contribute to a wilder future for both people and wildlife.
Find out more about how to join the Trust's movement for a wilder future here.
