BBC Gardeners' World Magazine’s Make a Metre Matter campaign is back for 2026, to inspire the British public to transform just one metre of space for the good of the planet, following an outstanding 15,523 square metres pledged last year.  

No outdoor space is too small — or too large. Whether you have an urban courtyard, a compact balcony, a sprawling country garden or access to a community space, participants are encouraged to use their metre for things like growing plants for pollinators, harvesting homegrown veg, adding water to welcome wildlife, or starting a compost heap to boost your soil.

This year, the campaign welcomes its first commercial partner in sustainability focused mobile network, Ecotalk and its Chief Ecologist, Chris Packham, who will be tending to his own metre garden for a unique social video series throughout the campaign.   

Make a Metre Matter is also proud to have partnered with the 30x30 UK initiative - a landmark global initiative with the goal of protecting at least 30% of the world's land and oceans by 2030, in order to halt biodiversity loss and tackle climate change. 

Content Director of BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Kevin Smith said: "Make a Metre Matter is back and we couldn't be more excited to see it grow. Last year showed us what's possible when people come together around a simple but powerful idea. A metre might not sound like much, but multiply that by thousands of gardens, balconies and community plots across the UK and the impact is extraordinary. With Ecotalk on board this year, we're taking that mission even further."

Chris Packham, TV Personality and Ecotalk’s Chief Ecologist said: "If you have a metre, now is the time to make it matter. Don't wait for others to fix the problems when you can do it yourself, and you can be as creative, dynamic or lazy as you like. You could just stop mowing a square metre of your otherwise tedious lawn, or you could plant wildflowers or vegetables, or put out a hedgehog box. There's no limit to a metre. Sprinkle some of nature's stardust and make your metre magical. And whatever you do, please share your metre with your friends, family, neighbours and all of us. Let's make a lot of metres make a difference for wildlife and humans across the UK."

Ecotalk’s Brand & Marketing Manager Lucy Delicata said: "Ecotalk exists to put nature first; every penny of profit goes back into rewilding projects across the UK rather than shareholders' pockets. Make a Metre Matter speaks directly to our mission to restore nature and is a powerful reminder that meaningful change can start small. This year we're putting that into practice by restoring wildflower meadows across our land holdings, and we're proud to be standing alongside BBC Gardeners' World Magazine and its readers in the shared mission to bring more nature back into the spaces around us."

The campaign will also be coming to life at BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the Birmingham NEC where BBC Newsround presenter De-Graft Mensah, along with gardening expert Lucy Chamberlain will be displaying their own metre gardens.

To join in BBC Gardeners' World Magazine’s mission to make measurable change one metre at a time, visit: https://www.gardenersworld.com/make-a-metre-matter/?srsltid=AfmBOoqabr0Qjs1nt_FNTJVWBeL2ICgz0UC0gG0c4XQ7xngN5NgGrPUK