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Protecting wildlife: everyone’s business

Photography student from Sunderland University, Scarlett Jean Kehoe, recently spent time with the Links with Nature project. In this blog, Scarlett documents the work of the project through words and pictures.

Scarlett Jean Kehoe is studying photography at university and as part of her course she spent time with our team, focusing her lens on Links with Nature volunteers as they work to improve greenspaces in the Coalfields area of Sunderland. The moments captured on camera are included in her latest project, an exhibition of images.

Scarlett explains her photography project:

Protecting wildlife: everyone’s business highlights the quiet yet powerful ways individuals and communities contribute to the protection of local wildlife. This project focuses on the people behind conservation, those who dedicate their time, energy, space and passion to support the natural world. Through documenting wildlife gardening, nature reserves, and volunteers working to support Links with Nature, this body of work highlights how conservation is not limited to large-scale organisations but is deeply dependent on individuals who take independent action. Each photograph captures how individuals have been involved; a gardener creating a safe haven for animals, and volunteers that come together to support wildlife in a range of different ways, and the wildlife that benefits from this love and care. This project aims to challenge the perception that conservation efforts are distant and inaccessible. Instead, it presents conservation as something immediate, inclusive and participatory, something that can involve everyone. By focusing on human connection to nature, these photographs reveal the emotional investment and sense of responsibility that drive people to act.

Ultimately, Protecting wildlife: everyone's business is both a celebration and a call to action. It highlights the importance of small, consistent efforts and demonstrates how collective care can have a lasting impact on wildlife. In a time of environmental uncertainty, this work invites viewers to reflect on their own relationship with nature and consider the role they can play in protecting it.

A selection of Scarlett's photographs are displayed below.

Three people work together in a lush, green woodland area, handling branches and evergreen cuttings to build or repair a natural structure. The man on the right wears a navy jacket and yellow gloves, bending over to adjust the foliage, while the two others stand nearby holding the framework made of sticks and greenery. Dense vegetation and tall grass surround them, suggesting a conservation or habitat restoration activity.

Links with Nature volunteers by Scarlett Jean Kehoe 

A group of volunteers working outdoors on a sunny day, clearing and preparing a patch of bare soil surrounded by leafless shrubs and trees. They wear boots and outdoor clothing, using tools like spades, rakes, and trowels to dig and tidy the ground. A blue bag lies nearby, and the scene conveys teamwork and conservation activity in a natural setting.

Links with Nature volunteers by Scarlett Jean Kehoe

A smiling volunteer wearing a navy jacket, green beanie, and gloves holds a blue litter bag and a grabber tool while cleaning up a wooded area. Behind him, two other volunteers in bright yellow high‑visibility jackets use litter pickers among leaf litter and tangled branches, showing teamwork in an environmental cleanup effort.

Links with Nature volunteers by Scarlett Jean Kehoe

A large group of volunteers stands together on a grassy field under bare trees, smiling at the camera after a litter‑picking session. They wear warm outdoor clothing, with several in bright orange or yellow high‑visibility jackets and others in blue coats and hats. Many hold blue litter‑picking bags and grabbers, showing teamwork and community spirit in an environmental cleanup effort.

Links with Nature volunteers by Scarlett Jean Kehoe

Three volunteers work together in a sunny woodland clearing, clearing branches and brush. The person on the left bends to cut a branch with loppers, while the woman in the center carries a long branch, and the man on the right stands nearby wearing green wellington boots. The scene shows teamwork in conservation or habitat maintenance amid dense green foliage.

Links with Nature volunteers by Scarlett Jean Kehoe 

Throughout this project, I have been able to document Links with Nature volunteers and staff. From the very beginning, I have felt welcomed and encouraged to document the work, with many people expressing the belief that greater public awareness and involvement in conservation was essential. Being able to speak with everyone about their passion for conservation and the reasons they chose to get involved has been both inspiring and insightful. These conversations have helped me capture meaningful images that have highlighted the passion and hard work of the staff and volunteers. Working with Links with Nature has been incredibly rewarding experience, both personally and creatively. By highlighting the activities available through volunteering, the project has developed a more rounded perspective on how people can become involved with conservation. I am extremely grateful for having the opportunity to document the valuable work that Links with Nature does and to include their contribution as an important part of my project.
Scarlett Jean Kehoe
Sunderland University student
Group of people carrying out conservation work along a moorland path bordered by a stone wall, with rolling green and purple hills under a sunny sky.

Volunteers at Cuthbert's Moor Nature Reserve

Volunteer for wildlife

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