Race Across Yorkshire: nature and wellbeing at Helmsley Walled Garden

Meet Village Green project partner Howardian Hills National Landscape at Helmsley Walled Garden. In this Race Across Yorkshire film, Ria and Charles explore the importance of community green spaces, from volunteering and wellbeing to heritage apples and a close encounter with a bird of prey.

Watch the film above to join the Village Green team on their visit.

Growing wellbeing through volunteering

From pruning and propagation to harvesting fruit and weeding, volunteers help care for the garden throughout the growing season. The garden team explains how health and wellbeing sit at the heart of its volunteering work, with opportunities to get involved in the everyday tasks that keep the space flourishing.

The visit also brings a memorable encounter with a bird of prey. We hear about conservation and education, and the excitement of seeing these remarkable birds close up.

Protecting Yorkshire’s heritage apples

The garden is home to around 70 varieties of heritage apple, including the national collection of Yorkshire apple cultivars. Preserving these local varieties helps keep an important part of Yorkshire’s growing heritage alive for the future.

In the film, the team explains the role of Plant Heritage and the national collections in protecting these varieties.

Making more space for nature

Village Green project partner Howardian Hills National Landscape works with local communities. Across 79 square miles of Yorkshire landscape, the team is helping communities explore projects such as planting trees and hedgerows, creating orchards and adding ponds.

Each project starts with what suits the individual community, showing the different ways local people can make more space for nature where they live.

Race Across Yorkshire brings us closer to the people and projects taking practical climate and nature action across North Yorkshire.

Watch the film on YouTube.

Interested in connecting with other organisations taking climate action? Explore North Yorkshire’s VCSE Climate Action Network.