National Trust Purbeck: Using the Environment Leadership Programme to build stronger community ties

As the largest conservation charity in Europe, the National Trust plays a vital role in tackling climate change and protecting important sites around the UK that help people and nature thrive. With that in mind, our Environment Leadership programme was a natural fit when the Trust were looking to build stronger connections with local communities near to  the Purbeck Estate.

Within the Trust’s portfolio of sites, the Purbeck Estate, located in Dorset, forms part of the UK’s first ‘super’ nature reserve. It brings together 11 priority habitats, allowing animals, reptiles, birds and insects to move more easily within the landscape and adapt to the challenges being brought about by the climate crisis.

Part of the Trust’s work in maintaining the site on the shores of Poole Harbour, where thousands of species reside (including 450 listed as rare, threatened or protected!) is to encourage local residents to build a greater connection with the natural world.

To help achieve this, the Trust decided to deliver our Environment Leadership Programme, developed in partnership with WWF and RSPB.

Jill Bailey, Senior Volunteering and Community Officer at National Trust Purbeck explains more: “Our main hope from offering the Environment Leadership Programme was to build greater links between students and their beautiful surroundings, whilst also helping them to build up key leadership skills.

“By running the course, we hope to engage more local children than before, helping them to lead a less urban lifestyle by introducing them to one of the most biodiverse areas in the UK.

“We also hope to build up their feelings of attachment and ownership of the landscape around them, to help shape and protect it for future generations.

“We’re proud to be a Trailblazer centre for the Environment Leadership Programme! At the moment, the programme is delivered as an enrichment programme for students in year 12 and 13, who have developed some exciting and impactful projects.

“These include wood pasture creation, tracking our grazing pigs, arty animals and visitor experience mapping. It just shows how diverse the students’ project plans are.”

The Environment Leaders Programme provides learners with the opportunity to create their own real-life project aimed at making a positive difference to the natural world. By taking their natural optimism and passion for the environment, the programme teaches them the skills needed to have the impact they want to make.

Jill explains how the programme provides their learners with positive outcomes, both in the short and long term: “The Environment Leaders Programme engages the students with key nature recovery projects and makes them realise that even small projects can have a long-lasting positive effect.

“These projects allow the students to feel they are making a real difference to their communities and the natural world as a whole.

“By focusing on the five key skills of self-belief, communication, problem solving, organisation and teamwork, the students are provided with everything they need to make a difference now and in the future.

“In the short term, they benefit from working together and feeling part of a group, contributing to school and community life. For some, this might be the first time they’ve worked as part of a team, with the programme bringing together groups of students who previously may not have mixed.

“In the longer term, they take those five skills with them into employment of university, with the programme carrying 8 UCAS points and potentially introducing them to new fields of study.

“The work they do as part of their project also opens up new career opportunities, introducing them to ways of working outside of school and showing them the opportunities and scale of working in the natural world due to the size of the National Trust as an organisation.”

Choosing to deliver the Environment Leadership Programme was a straightforward choice for Jill, having delivered leadership skills programmes in the past and seen their impact: “Having worked with the Leadership Skills Foundation as Sports Leaders for more than 20 years, I was well aware of the value of the courses.

“Delivering Level 1, 2 and 3 Sports Leadership in the past gave me a great insight into how relevant programmes from the Leadership Skills Foundation are in supporting students to move on to the next stage of their lives.

“The course and awards are always being updated to ensure they stay relevant to young people, while also being rigorous in their detail, which, from my experience, is valued by employers and universities. I have always appreciated delivering Leadership Skills Foundation programmes, which is made easier by staff being supportive, knowledgeable and helpful.”

The waiting list to deliver the Level 2 Environment Leadership programme from August or September 2025 is now open. Learn more about the programme and its potential to empower young people’s passion for the natural world here.