Our Nature Story

Thanks for sharing your memorable moments in nature and helping create #OurNatureStory

The New Forest National Park is globally important for nature with many rare plants and animals.

Our beautiful landscapes and wildlife are under threat from the climate and nature emergencies, but uplifting and relatable messages of hope and joy are more likely to inspire people to take action to protect them.

We’ve been calling for people to share their memorable moments in the outdoors – to build a picture of how people connect with nature, and what makes it special to them.

We shared #OurNatureStory on our socials and on a screen at the New Forest and Hampshire County Show in July 2023. One entry was selected for a £100 online voucher.

#OurNatureStory is a compilation of snippets, poems, words, films, pictures, photos and memories, all capturing YOUR special moment in nature.

We’d love you to continue to share #OurNatureStory and we will share on our socials too.

Taking part is easy

• Please post your video/photo and text across Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook with the hashtag #OurNatureStory
• Tag @NewForestNPA

Top Tips

• Hold your phone vertically when you’re filming
• Try to keep your video clip to around 30 seconds
• It could be just you talking, a voiceover over some shots of a place, or a mixture of both
• You don’t have to film in the place you’re mentioning
• Or post a photo with some text about your nature story.

Perhaps you’d like to share an impactful memory from childhood, a fun experience with friends or a beautifully tranquil time alone.

Is your favourite nature moment outdoors in a quiet winter landscape? Or in spring amid riotous birdsong? Could you share a line about nature in the summertime? Or a memorable autumn stroll?

It could be the fleeting chance of seeing a rare species for the first time, or watching the sun set over a heather-purple heathland on a dog walk. Your memorable moment in nature could be on land, water or coast, and anywhere in the world – not just the New Forest National Park.

Prof. Gavin Parker, New Forest National Park Authority Chair, said: ‘It’s well-documented how being in the outdoors has a positive effect on our physical, mental and emotional well-being. Through stories, rather than through facts and figures, people are likely to be inspired to take action for the environment. Stories are everywhere – they feature in most conversations, and according to research by Stanford University, “Stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone”.

‘We hope people will help create an uplifting collection of nature moments and stories that we can all be inspired by, to help us connect with and care for our natural world.’

You can share your memorable moment in nature in just one line – or more if you’d prefer.

#OurNatureStory