12 Oct Five years of Wildlife Garden Awards celebrate more than 370,000m² of space supporting nature across the Royal Borough
From private gardens and balconies to allotments, communal spaces, schools and businesses, residents across the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead have once again demonstrated how outdoor spaces of every size can play a part in supporting local wildlife.
The 2026 Wildlife Garden Awards have recognised 41 wildlife-friendly spaces across the Borough, including 31 private gardens, seven communal gardens, two balconies or courtyards and one allotment. Five schools, one church and one business also took part this year.
Of this year’s awards, 10 achieved Gold, seven Silver and 24 Bronze, demonstrating that the scheme is not simply about established wildlife gardens, but about encouraging people at every stage of their journey to make positive changes for nature.
Together, the spaces entered in 2026 cover an impressive 52,278m², more than seven football pitches of land being managed with wildlife in mind.
This year also marks an opportunity to celebrate the collective impact of the Wildlife Garden Awards over the past five years. Since 2022, the scheme has received 425 entries from across the Royal Borough, with 421 Gold, Silver or Bronze awards presented. Across those five years, 147 Gold, 174 Silver and 100 Bronze awards have been achieved.
Most significantly, participating spaces have collectively covered an extraordinary 374,433m², more than 37 hectares of gardens and outdoor spaces being managed with wildlife in mind.
The five-year figures include 361 private gardens, 39 communal gardens, 14 allotments and seven balconies or courtyards, showing that supporting biodiversity does not depend on having a large traditional garden.
Across the Borough, Maidenhead and the surrounding area has accounted for 245 entries over the five years, followed by Windsor and Eton with 84, Cookham, Bisham, Hurley and the Walthams with 50, Ascot and the surrounding area with 43, Datchet with two and Horton and Wraysbury with one.
The Wildlife Garden Awards are a free-to-enter, volunteer-led scheme run by the six local ‘Wilds’ groups, recognising and celebrating individuals and communities who create wildlife-friendly outdoor spaces. The awards encourage simple, accessible and low-cost ways of providing food, water, shelter and habitats for wildlife while supporting biodiversity and sustainability.
Divya Jayakar, Chair of Wild Maidenhead, said: “Five years of the Wildlife Garden Awards gives us a wonderful opportunity to see the collective difference people across the Borough are making. More than 374,000 square metres of outdoor space has now been entered into the scheme, showing just how much can be achieved when lots of people make space for nature.
“What is particularly encouraging is the variety of spaces involved. You don’t need a huge garden to help wildlife, a balcony, courtyard, allotment, school grounds or shared communal garden can all make a difference. Every pond, nectar-rich flower, log pile, nesting place or area left a little wilder helps create a network of habitats across our communities.
“A huge thank you goes to everyone who took part in 2026, and to all those who have participated over the last five years. We hope their achievements will inspire even more people to see what they can do for wildlife where they live, work or learn.”
The Wildlife Garden Awards were created to recognise these individual and community efforts and encourage more people to garden with nature in mind. Previous awards have highlighted simple wildlife-friendly features including nectar-rich planting, bird-feeding stations and wildlife ponds.