Whilst brochures and show homes are an important part of selling a property or community, one overlooked area is influencer marketing. When most people think of influencer marketing, they think of products like make-up, but for famille, it means bird-watching. At Wintringham in St Neots, the Master Developer Urban&Civic has put nature at the heart of its approach to placemaking.
Natural Influence
Wintringham has three new lakes. They sit at the heart of a flood-resilient sustainability strategy. During heavy rainfall, they can take large volumes of water. All year round, they act as living spaces and habitats. They anchor biodiversity in an area that is still evolving.
To help the new community build stronger connections with nature and establish Wintringham as a place people can call home, the task was to bring the area to life in an engaging, authentic way.
famille, who works with Urban&Civic’s internal team on communication, social listening and engagement, wanted the story to be grounded in real experience rather than polished promotion.
“For an influencer partnership to work, it has to be based on authenticity and shared values.” That became the starting point. The team spent time with YouTuber Matt Spracklen, also known as the Rock ‘n Roll Birder. Matt genuinely loves birdwatching and was invited to Wintringham to help interpret what was emerging.
Matt visited Wintringham with his family. They spent the day exploring the new lake habitats, birdwatching, walking along the water’s edge, and stopping at the bird hides already in place. He recorded more than expected: enough for a full YouTube episode, a set of reels and ongoing stories. A return visit is planned for spring to track how the habitats establish and what species settle as the landscape matures.
The conversations on site proved helpful beyond content. Matt offered practical advice, including introducing feeding stations to support local species and improve visibility from hides. These are now being integrated with community support so that refilling becomes part of local stewardship rather than a short-term intervention. The RSPB is advising on new signage and wayfinding to help residents understand which bird species they might see and how the lakes’ ecology is developing.
The aim is long-term. Not a campaign spike, not borrowed attention, but a slow and steady introduction to nature at Wintringham.
Debbie put it plainly: “By working with residents and partners, the lakes can become a place where people spend time, learn, and build an everyday relationship with the natural world.”
A species list will be added to as formal monitoring continues, along with links to Matt’s YouTube episode and the Instagram reel once published. These form part of a wider effort to help people experience the landscape as it settles, grows and supports the biodiversity it was designed to hold.
This is early-stage storytelling, built on direct observation and grounded in reality. It reflects famille’s approach: listen first, work with partners who share the values of the place, and build narratives that last as long as the landscapes they describe.
