WARCS was launched at a meeting at South Hunsley School on 3 May 1996. The small, enthusiastic group adopted the aims that we still have today and quickly evolved into arranging a series of monthly meetings and some outdoor activities. Meetings covered a varied and wide range of topics including both flora and fauna but also the history of our area.

Activities included fungus forays, mothing, bird-watching, bat watching and listening, butterfly walks and visits of ecological interest. In addition a regular feature was our annual litter clear up around the Welton, Elloughton and Brantingham dales.
WARCS activities extended further with the purchase of 3 acres of woodland on the edge of Elloughton in 2001. This was thanks to a generous grant from Enventure northern amongst other support.

The overgrown area was tidied and managed to allow as many species as possible to thrive and to provide a pleasant local amenity for people to walk through and contemplate. A further opportunity arose to acquire an additional 0.5 acre open plot next to the woodland. This was completed in 2014 with the generous support of Elloughton-cum-Brough Town Council, the Atkinson trust and some members. This area has been developed as a wildflower meadow to attract bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects to improve the biodiversity of the area. This has not been a quick fix and requires careful and regular management to maximise the number of species it supports. It also provides an additional feature which changes throughout the year.

In 2022 WARCS took the important step of converting to a CIO [Charitable Incorporated Organisation] and subsequently all the activity of the group passed to this CIO, 1200339. This protects WARCS activities and land from being used for a different purpose and gives protection to the Trustees and members.