Nikki Williams

I’ve been away on Skomer Island for a week, trying to spend as little time on my phone as possible. But I’m back on LinkedIn and have just seen that it’s my one year work anniversary! And what a year it’s been with some very steep learning curves, including: • Coordinating our campaign for the Senedd election, the biggest since devolution began • Engaging with new MSs about the importance of nature-based solutions • Media interviews on the beauty and fragility of Welsh nature • Many, many, many hours of Teams meetings Has it been plain sailing? Absolutely not. I’ve also learned a lot about my own strengths, what I enjoy, and where my passions lie (here’s hoping for less screen time this year!) It’s also hard to look back on the past year without thinking about the bigger picture. The impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss are becoming clearer all the time. The systems that have brought us here need to change, and there’s a huge amount of work still to do. But I feel very lucky to be doing that work with some pretty incredible people. I’m so lucky to work with my brilliant Wildlife Trusts Wales team; colleagues across the wider Wildlife Trusts; the staff, trustees, and volunteers at our five Welsh Wildlife Trusts, and fantastic partners across Wales Environment Link and beyond. — Rydw i wedi bod i ffwrdd ar Ynys Sgomer am wythnos, gan geisio treulio cyn lleied o amser â phosib ar fy ffôn. Ond rydw i’n ôl ar LinkedIn ac wedi gweld bod blwyddyn wedi mynd heibio ers i mi ddechrau yn y swydd! Ac am flwyddyn, gyda rhai heriau dysgu sylweddol, gan gynnwys: • Cydlynu ein hymgyrch ar gyfer etholiad y Senedd, yr un mwyaf ers i ddatganoli ddechrau • Ymgysylltu ag Aelodau newydd o’r Senedd ynghylch pwysigrwydd atebion sy’n seiliedig ar natur • Cyfweliadau yn y cyfryngau am harddwch a bregusrwydd natur Cymru • Oriau ac oriau ac oriau o gyfarfodydd Teams A fu pethau’n llyfn ac yn hawdd? Dim o gwbl. Rydw i hefyd wedi dysgu llawer am fy nghryfderau fy hun, beth rydw i’n ei fwynhau, a ble mae fy angerdd (gobeithio am lai o amser o flaen sgrin eleni!) Mae hefyd yn anodd edrych yn ôl ar y flwyddyn ddiwethaf heb feddwl am y darlun ehangach. Mae effeithiau newid hinsawdd a cholli bioamrywiaeth yn dod yn fwy amlwg drwy’r amser. Mae angen i’r systemau sydd wedi ein harwain i’r fan hon newid, ac mae llawer iawn o waith i’w wneud o hyd. Ond rydw i’n teimlo’n ffodus iawn o fod yn gwneud y gwaith hwnnw gyda phobl wirioneddol anhygoel. Rydw i mor ffodus o weithio gyda fy nhîm gwych; cydweithwyr ar draws y mudiad Ymddiriedolaethau Natur ehangach; y staff, y gwirfoddolwyr a’r ymddiriedolwyr yn ein pum Ymddiriedolaethau Natur yng Nghymru; a phartneriaid gwych ar draws Cyswllt Amgylcheddol Cymru a thu hwnt. The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales THE RADNORSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST LIMITED Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust /Ymddiriedolaeth Natur Maldwyn North Wales Wildlife Trust / Ymddiriedolaeth Natur Gogledd Cymru Gwent Wildlife Trust

Yesterday, I asked someone who works for a local service provider if we could put a few raised beds on the green space outside our houses. Our idea is Grown On The Green. Each neighbour grows one or two things, and we share what we grow. I appreciate I’ve only had one successful growing season in my entire life and might be getting ahead of myself, but some of my neighbours are brilliant gardeners, and it would be awesome to have something shared like this. We got pretty close to getting the pub, so I figured a few shared planters should be fairly simple. Especially as I wasn’t asking for materials, labour or funding. When he clocked that I might have it in me to cause some good trouble, he asked my name. Then pointed at my house and asked if that was where I live. Noted. He didn’t offer his name. But he did strongly suggest putting the planters within the boundary of my house (totally missing the point - our estate has very little social infrastructure). I have a slight suspicion my hypothetical shared potatoes have been logged somewhere. There’s a lot of talk about “empowering” residents to take action where they live. To connect with neighbours. Take ownership of community spaces. Grow things. Do things together. But if the first institutional response to someone having an idea like this is to work out who they are and where they live, in case they act before asking permission, or involving services, the only thing it builds is a culture of dependency and surveillance. That may not be the intention, but it is the effect. I said at the People's Powerhouse this week that we don’t need another programme to “build community power”. It already exists. What we do need is institutions that make it easier for neighbours to do ordinary, useful things together. Such as growing a few spuds without inadvertently becoming a person of interest. I’m excited about the potential of the Do With movement, and hope that, in time, there’s a shift towards more public services enabling change to be “done by” communities themselves. If Grown On The Green ever happens, we’ll be growing so much more than food.