A little about…
What We Do
- Look after countryside and green spaces on the Isle of Wight.
- Help people improve land they manage.
- Run lots of interesting and fun events.
- Promote routes to access the countryside.
- Look after special habitats and species.
- Advise people about how to do these things themselves.
Find out more…
About Gift To Nature
The Project
Gift to Nature is the Isle of Wight’s local countryside management project.
Gift to Nature is passionate about the Isle of Wight’s wildlife, countryside and open spaces, from our famous red squirrels to obscure tiny rare bees. Since 2002 we have created and cared for a variety of green spaces both in towns and countryside, right across the Island.
Gift to Nature is changing and growing into something new – bigger and better.
In February 2016 the Island 2000 Trust charity took on the management of most of the Isle of Wight Council’s countryside estate, to add to its own existing Gift to Nature sites. This means we now have even more countryside and green spaces all around the Island. This new project is run under the name of Gift to Nature – meaning that both IWC countryside and G2N will be better placed to keep our beautiful countryside open and free for all.
You might find something a bit different
Many of our sites feature local art, from carved picnic benches to a scrap-metal sculpture. We invite local craftsmen and artists to help add something special to what nature (and our conservation workers) have provided. We want to share our lovely sites and all of the Island’s beautiful countryside so we have produced also trail maps and lead guided walks to encourage everyone to get out and explore.
Thanks to all of our supporters
All of this work is only possible with the help of our committed supporters and amazing network of volunteers. All donations enable us to continue our conservation work on the Isle of Wight.
Meet The Team
Chief Executive Graham Biss is the brains behind the outfit and manages not only Gift to Nature but the whole of the Island 2000 Trust and all its projects. Graham is passionate about the Isle of Wight, its communities, rural economy and countryside. He’s also pretty keen on football.
Our most photogenic member of staff, Edward is the Gift to Nature Apprentice Countryside Ranger: working hard alongside Nick managing the sites, working with the volunteers whilst studying for a countryside management qualification at the Isle of Wight College.
As part of a varied portfolio of work Carol spends some of her time as part of the Gift to Nature team, particularly involved in developing new projects and finding vital funding for site improvement works. She can also sometimes be found up to her waist in Island rivers!
Vanessa is the one who you’ll probably meet first – she’s often found in our lovely shop, it’s her job to help us raise the money to keep these beautiful bits of the Island open for the future. She also communes with faeries.
Nick is our full-time ranger so you are most likely to find him out on one of our sites. If you see our ranger truck driving by, he’s the guy behind the wheel. Nick does a lot of work managing and supervising our fabulous volunteers who are out there loving our countryside in a very practical way. He’s also a very dedicated cyclist.
Anna is probably the first person you will speak to when you call our office. She supports the whole Natural Enterprise team with her administrative and organisational wizardry. An integral to the smooth running of all our operations.