We’re delighted to announce a new partnership with Nottingham City of Literature to welcome the city’s very first Nature Poet Laureate. Over the next 18 months, poetry and wildlife will come together to spark fresh ways of connecting with nature. 

At Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, we’re especially excited about this partnership because it brings together two of our greatest passions: inspiring people to care for wildlife and celebrating creativity in our communities. Working with a Nature Poet Laureate gives us a fresh way to tell the stories of our local green spaces and the people who protect them — and to show how words can help more people feel part of nature’s future. 

We also believe there’s a poem out there for everyone — even if you don’t think poetry is “your thing,” you just haven’t found the right one yet. This programme is about opening those doors, offering different voices and styles, and showing how poetry can be as down-to-earth and accessible as spotting your first ladybird of spring. 

The role aims to inspire people of all ages to look more closely at the world around them and capture those moments in words. 

What’s happening? 

The Nature Poet Laureate programme will include: 

• A new poetry commission – a rallying cry for nature, showing how small everyday actions can make a big difference. 

• Writer-in-residence at a reserve – time spent at one of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s beautiful sites, collaborating with our Keeping It Wild team of young people, and creating a brand-new piece inspired by their experiences.  

• Creative programme for young people – co-designed with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and Nottingham City of Literature youth programmes, giving young voices the chance to explore writing, nature, and activism side by side.
• And more! - watch this space 

Meet the Nature Poet Laureate: Cara Thompson 

We caught up with Cara to hear more about her journey into the role. 

What made you apply for the Nature Poet Laureate role? 

A big part of why I applied for the Nature Poet Laureate role was curiosity. Growing up in the city, I didn’t have a ton of exposure to the natural world beyond my local park. The more I thought about the role, the more I began to see it as an exciting invitation (to the Nottingham community and to myself) to think more deeply about our place within the natural world by getting out and experiencing it first-hand. As a poet, experiencing “the unknown” can be incredibly fertile ground for new ideas to emerge in your work. The chance to go on a creative journey with community groups who may also want to learn more about the world around them sounded like an incredible shared learning opportunity.   

What are you most excited about with the partnership with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust? 

I’m really excited to explore the nature reserves that Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has to offer, and to hopefully even encourage people who have never set foot in one of the reserves to engage with the natural areas that are open to them. As I’ll be leading outdoor creative writing workshops for young people and community groups throughout my tenure, I can’t wait to see how our sense of the world may widen once we encounter and create things in nature. I’m also excited to consider ways that we can write sustainably - for nature and for ourselves. 

Do you have a favourite animal? 

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a cat fanatic (I’m developing a slightly concerning pile of cat paraphernalia, and may or may not have a photo album dedicated to my friends’ cats in my phone…). I feel like cats aren’t the most exotic answer, though, so I’ll also give a shout-out to giraffes. They are pretty majestic creatures.    

Where’s your favourite green space in Nottingham and why? 

Perhaps it’s a bit of an unconventional one, but one of my favourite green spaces is the Secret Garden at Orchid Cafe in Sherwood (which I suppose isn’t so secret now I’ve said it). It’s a little haven tucked away slap bang in the middle of Sherwood High Street where I go and write from time to time. Something I’m really interested in as Nature Poet Laureate is uncovering and celebrating the hidden green gems that exist on our front doors, and Orchid feels like a perfect example of that.   

Where can we keep up to date about your progress as a Nature Poet Laureate? 

You can follow me on Instagram (@caracreator) or check out my Substack (@carathompson1) where I’ll be posting blog updates on how the Laureateship is going. I’m also in the process of building a Nature Poetry Reading List - so watch this space for that!