Sawn to be Wild started with a simple idea: perfectly useful materials shouldn't become waste just because they've reached the end of their original purpose.
We give suitable surplus and waste materials from manufacturing and construction another life by turning them into thoughtfully designed homes for wildlife.
And we're using those habitats to build something bigger.
The Habitat Network
The Habitat Network connects wildlife habitats with gardens, schools and community spaces across Britain.
People provide the space.
Our partners provide the funding.
Together, we make things wilder.
Every STBW habitat has its own identity and QR code, connecting the physical habitat to its digital record.
Scan one and you can discover its story, see who helped fund it, record wildlife you've spotted, upload a photograph, leave a message or simply show your appreciation.
Over time, those individual habitats, observations and stories become part of one growing network.
Our mission
Make Britain's gardens and streets wilder.
We want to give wildlife more places to nest, shelter and thrive while finding better uses for materials that might otherwise go to waste.
Our wider ambition is to show that manufacturing and construction can contribute positively to biodiversity by turning suitable surplus materials into something useful for nature and putting them back into local communities.
How it works
- 1JoinRegister your garden, school or community space for free.
- 2Get matchedWhen funded habitats become available in your area, we'll match them with suitable registered spaces.
- 3InstallYour habitat is installed in an appropriate location, either by you or through a participating community project.
- 4ObserveHosts, neighbours and passers-by can scan habitats, record sightings, upload photographs and follow their stories over time.
Our first 1,000
Every network has to start somewhere.
We're looking for our first 1,000 gardens and outdoor spaces willing to give a little space back to wildlife.
It's completely free to register.
Does it cost anything?
No. Habitats are funded by our partners, so there's no cost to you.
Joining doesn't guarantee a habitat straight away. As programmes are funded, we match habitats with suitable spaces.
For businesses
Businesses can help grow the Habitat Network by funding wildlife habitats in the communities they care about.
We take care of the programme, from creating habitats and matching suitable hosts to distribution, tracking, community engagement and reporting.
Where appropriate, we can also explore using suitable surplus materials from our partners themselves, turning material generated by industry into wildlife habitat for local communities.
Every project creates a lasting record of what a partner helped make possible, including habitats funded, locations reached, installations, wildlife observations, community appreciations, photographs and stories from across the network.
Fund wildlife habitat. See where it goes. Follow what happens.
From waste to wildlife
Our roots are in the manufacturing and construction industry.
We've seen first-hand how high-quality material can become waste simply because it's no longer needed for its original purpose.
We want to change that.
- Make
- Use
- Discard
- Recover
- Remake
- Create habitat
- Return to the community
A piece of surplus timber might seem insignificant.
Turn it into a wildlife habitat, put it somewhere it can be useful, connect it to the Habitat Network and follow what happens there over time, and it has a very different story.
Multiply that across thousands of gardens, schools, streets and community spaces, and those small interventions begin to add up.
Where we're going
Our long-term ambition is:
1,000,000 spaces for wildlife.
A million gardens, streets and community spaces giving nature a little more room.
A growing network funded by businesses, hosted by communities and built, wherever practical, from materials given another life.
One habitat won't change the world.
But a network of them might.
Sawn to be Wild
Make Britain's gardens and streets wilder.