Why Was Broughton Sanctuary On ITV's Lorraine Show?

Ever find yourself watching morning telly, cup of tea in hand, and something just pops up that makes you think? That's what happened for viewers of ITV’s popular show, Lorraine, recently. Tucked in amongst the usual chat, fashion, and recipes was a special segment called "Live from the Land," which took everyone on a virtual trip up to a rather special place in Yorkshire called Broughton Sanctuary. It wasn’t just a nice bit of scenery, though. This was a story about making our planet a bit healthier, with a spotlight on the upcoming COP30 climate talks. A team member from the sanctuary, Kelly Hollick, was there to chat about the amazing work happening on their land, showing that making a difference can start right in our own backyard.

A bit of morning telly with a big message

It’s not every day that a huge global climate conference gets a mention on a show like Lorraine, but that’s exactly what happened. The feature was part of ITV's coverage looking ahead to COP30, which is a massive meeting where leaders from all over the world get together to talk about climate change. But instead of just showing politicians in suits, the "Live from the Land" segment brought it all down to earth. Literally. They visited the Broughton Hall Estate to see what real people are doing on the ground.

The person guiding viewers through this story was Kelly Hollick, from the Broughton team. She explained how the project is helping to create a healthier planet, one patch of land at a time. It was a brilliant way to show that these big, global issues have local solutions. And for anyone who missed it, the whole thing is available to catch up on over on ITVX, so you can see the brilliant work for yourself.

So what is this 'rewilding' thing all about?

Right, so you probably heard the word 'rewilding' a lot during the segment. What does that even mean? Is it just about letting a field get overgrown? Well, sort of, but it's much more clever than that.

Think about a perfectly mown lawn. It looks neat, but not much actually lives there. Rewilding is the opposite. It’s about helping nature get back to its messy, brilliant, and bustling self. At Broughton Sanctuary, rewilding means giving the land a helping hand to restore its natural ecosystem. An ecosystem is like a huge, complicated web where every little bug, bird, and plant has a job to do.

The rewilding project at Broughton focuses on things like large-scale tree planting, but it's more than just that. It's about creating a mix of habitats—woods, wetlands, and grasslands—so that all sorts of wildlife can return and thrive. It’s a process of stepping back and letting nature take the driving seat again, creating a much stronger and healthier ecosystem for everyone. This work across the vast Broughton Hall Estate near Skipton is a leading example of effective rewilding.

The team behind the trees

A project this big doesn’t just happen on its own. While nature does a lot of the heavy lifting, it gets a massive boost from a dedicated group of people. The "Live from the Land" piece on ITV made sure to highlight that this is a real community effort.

At the heart of it are the volunteers. These are people from all walks of life who give up their time to get stuck in, helping with everything from tree planting to monitoring wildlife. Their energy and passion are what helps turn these big ideas into reality.

And they’re not alone. The sanctuary has teamed up with organisations including the White Rose Forest. The White Rose Forest is the community forest for North and West Yorkshire, a group dedicated to planting millions of trees across the region. Their support for the tree planting at Broughton is a huge deal, helping to speed up the process of creating new woodlands. It’s this combination of local volunteers and expert partners that makes the rewilding project so successful.

Why is this important for something like COP30?

Okay, so a lovely project in Yorkshire. What has that got to do with the massive global summit, COP30? Actually, a lot.

COP30 is where world leaders make promises about how they’re going to tackle climate change. But promises are one thing; action is another. Projects like the one at Broughton Sanctuary are living, breathing examples of what that action looks like. It shows that it's possible to heal the land, bring back wildlife, and create a better environment right here in Yorkshire.

When a mainstream show like Lorraine on ITV showcases this work, it sends a powerful message. It tells everyone, from the public to the politicians, that people care and that positive change is already happening. The rewilding at Broughton is more than just a local story; it’s a story of hope that has a place on the world stage, showing what a healthy ecosystem can look like.