YOU always hear about deforestation, greenery being removed and the countryside being developed.

But Wilder Hyde, a Winchester group of volunteers, are doing the opposite.

Their aim is to 're-green' as much of Hyde and Abbotts Barton as possible by planting wildflowers and various seeds.

The group formed in February when Sarah Perrin approached her friends and neighbours who are interested in nature conservation.

She said: "We had our first meeting in a local pub and decided on various projects we would like to tackle. We also want to extend our efforts, where possible, to the neighbouring area of Abbotts Barton.

"Inspired by actions in Wilder Portsmouth, in April we held a nature swap on four residential roads in Hyde. This involved having an area outside a house where we left flower seeds, plants, bird seed, bamboo etc for people to help themselves to and to also leave things for others.

"A local teenager designed a poster advertising the swap as part of her Duke of Edinburgh's award. This worked really well and we received lots of positive feedback from local residents. Locals said they really enjoyed sharing and receiving items to improve their gardens for nature. They also enjoyed the interaction with neighbours albeit at a social distance."

The group has teamed up with Abbotts Barton Residents Association to work with Hampshire County Council on a project.

Ms Perrin added: "We have several other projects on the go now including one with Hampshire County Council about planting trees locally and would like to plant community orchard trees and street trees where possible. This would link up the roads to Riverpark recreation ground and Winnall Moors Nature Reserve for birds and other wildlife. "We're also working with Winchester Litter Pickers who have established a Hyde Group to pick up litter every Sunday morning.

"In the Autumn we launched a Hedgehog Awareness campaign. We are lucky to have a healthy population of hedgehogs in Hyde and lots of residents report seeing them in their gardens.

"We are planning to ask the local children to design posters with key information on how people can help hedgehogs and what to do if they find one in their garden that they are concerned about."