Northampton’s eco duo help save precious resource through creative partnership with Anglian Water

Eco duo, Jodie Mitchell and Harriet Creedy Crockford of The Wild Tribe, have received funding from Anglian Water to offer free, family activities aimed at raising awareness about water usage and inspiring action in the home to reduce waste.

We know that every drop of water is precious and our access to water is being impacted by climate change, causing more severe droughts and floods, and impacting the water cycle by influencing when, where, and the amount of rain that falls. Communities are also growing, and the average UK household now uses 15% more water than it used to, meaning we all need to use water more carefully at home and in the garden.

The pair have designed two initiatives, ‘My Little Paper Home’, and ‘The Wild Water Challenge’. Both are free to access and aimed at pre-schoolers, although the whole family will enjoy and learn from the activities.

‘My Little Paper Home’ is a downloadable, fun, and educational paper house project. The completed mini house shows areas around the home where water can be saved, or water usage can be adapted.

‘The Wild Water Challenge’ is a series of three boxes filled with colourful information and creative activities and a challenge 'reward' at the end. In the first box, which is available now, participants receive a Water Cycle book which is full of interesting water facts to share with family and friends. Boxes two and three launch in February and March and if all three are completed, participants can collect a very special badge.

After completing the first box, there is also the chance to enter a competition to win an amazing Nature Trail kit full of goodies such as books, art materials, and your very own magnifying glass!

Harriet Creedy Crockford, Project Curator at The Wild Tribe said: “We are delighted to be working on this project which aims to encourage pre-schoolers and their families to think differently about water. We both have young families ourselves, so we know that water usage isn’t always at the top of everyone’s priority list, but introducing a few simple changes can make a big difference.”

Both Jodie and Harriet come from creative backgrounds with over 20 years of experience between them. They set up The Wild Tribe, to create magical, nature-based experiences with the most earth-friendly approach possible. They work with sustainable principles with the aim to reduce, reuse, and recycle, whilst providing an inspiring, high-quality, and unique service. All their projects are completely funded, ensuring they are financially accessible for the whole community.

Jodie Mitchell, Project Curator at The Wild Tribe said: “We were shocked when we started researching for the project just how much water we all waste at home and how that impacts the planet, so when Anglian Water asked us to produce something interactive, we had lots of ideas!

“Our ethos at The Wild Tribe is to use premium plant and nature-based materials to connect the entire community with nature, wellbeing and a healthy dose of creativity.”

‘My Little Paper Home’, which is downloadable, can be accessed online at https://www.thewildtribe.org/water-with-the-wild-tribe

There will be a total of 1500 boxes available this year across two projects. Northamptonians can pick up boxes from a range of locations across Northampton. The public locations for collecting the boxes are: Delapré Abbey, The Cloud Space, Weston Favell Library, Moulton Community Centre, and St. Crispin Community Centre.

East Hunsbury Primary School, Hopping Hill Preschool, Child First Nursery Moulton, Spring Charity and Spring Lane Nursery will be circulating boxes within their own communities.

Participants are invited to share their journey online using the project hashtag: #thewildwaterchallenge and tagging @thewildtribe_adventures on Instagram, and @thewildtribeadventures on Facebook.