This month, we’re focusing on our annual conference – Air and Fire on 23 September – and the NEW line-up of fringe events leading up to it, which we’re excited to announce below.
The fringe events start THIS MONDAY 18 SEPTEMBER, so don’t miss out!
Read on for details and how book, and remember to bring along friends, neighbours and family too. More people = more positive action for a wilder future…
Air and fire fringe events
We have FIVE fabulous events next week, and all of them FREE!
There’s something for everyone, from wildlife geeks to families with young children, so read on for details and book through the links.
A Walk with Dougy Wright, Windmill Farm Warden
Join Dougy, volunteer warden at Windmill Farm in Ruan Minor, for a short walk and discussion around the positive impacts on nature that can be achieved by making small changes to the local environment.
This will be fascinating – the land at Windmill Farm has been transformed from a fairly average agricultural landscape to a fabulous haven for nature. A guided tour from Dougy is an opportunity not to be missed! Please wear walking boots/shoes or wellingtons, and note that Windmill Farm is a no dogs reserve.
Public Right of Way Conservation Day
Tuesday 19 September, Clarhar Barton Farm, Trewoon, TR12 7DT
This is a wonderful community project, which will give Mullion residents and visitors the opportunity to walk through countryside to their nearby nature reserve. Thank you to Charlotte Evans at Cornwall Council for including us in such a worthwhile local event.
Bat Walk with Paul Diamond
Wednesday 20 September, 18:00, Higher Bochym Workshops, Cury Cross Lanes, TR12 7AZ (grid reference: SW70272011)
What a privilege to be able to watch and listen to bats with experts such as Paul Diamond. Whatever your state of knowledge of bats, this event will be of interest. And if you haven’t tuned in to bats before, it will be life changing!
This circular walk – starting at Natural England’s Lizard National Nature Reserve (NNR) base – will take in ponds, woodland, heathland and grassland with adjacent buildings to see what bats are out foraging and flying through the landscape on the edge of The Lizard NNR. We’ll be keeping to tracks/paths on level ground but the terrain may be uneven in places.
Beyond the Wave Wildlife Groundswell Adventurers
Thursday 21 September, 10:00 – 14:30, Rosuick Farm, St Martin, TR12 6DZ
A great opportunity for young children to get active and learn about nature with brilliant forest school leaders Lucy and Lorraine. Swing in the hammock, build dams in the stream, climb trees, have a go at woodland crafts and bake a cake in the fire.
All families welcome, and children aged 8 and over can be dropped off.
Nature and Sunset Photography Workshop with Nick Pearce
Thursday 21 September, 17:00 – 19:30, Rosuick Farm, St Martin, TR12 6DZ
Do you wish the quality of your photos could be better? Want to create diverse, awesome nature photography? And meet someone who’s just nuts about nature? This one’s for you…
Nick of GoWildCam is a wildlife geek and proud Cornishman, professional photographer, dog rescuer and volunteer. Based in Cornwall, he travels the county and around Portugal, capturing images of the beautiful flora and fauna, land and sea.
Weather permitting, we’ll be taking photos around a large pond ecosystem, then later at ‘golden hour’, capturing the sunset over Rosuick organic farm towards Goonhilly. Bring any form of digital camera, mirrorless or DSLR.
CONFERENCE: AIR AND FIRE
Annual Conference: Let’s Get Wild – Air and Fire
Saturday 23 September, 09:30 – 21:30, Rosuick Farm, St Martin, TR12 6DZ
If you haven’t got tickets already, please click on this link and share with your friends! We’d love to see you. Come along to meet people doing great things locally (including representatives from local environmental groups), eat delicious street food and dance to live music later on.
We’re thrilled to welcome Gillian Burke from BBC Springwatch as one of our speakers.
“We would be wise to quickly and humbly find our place in the classroom of life and learn all we can from our greatest teacher – nature herself,” says Gillian. “Join me as I explore Wildlife Groundswell’s conference theme of Air and Fire. What can we learn from these two classical elements that together have the power to create life and destroy life?
“With a deep belief that nature is our greatest teacher, the ecology of air and fire provide the spark of inspiration, as well as the fuel for a sustained effort to create a better environment for people and wildlife on the Lizard and beyond.”
Tickets are £5, FREE for under-16s. Lunchtime pasties are £5, and must be pre-ordered (you can do this when you book your ticket). Get full details of our fabulous line-up of talks and workshops, and book your tickets:
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Helston Cemetery meadow management ‘rake and cake’
Saturday 30 September, 10:00 – 13:00, Meneage Road, Helston, TR13 8BH
Would you like to help native flowers flourish in this beautiful space? Volunteer with us at Helston Cemetery. Summer wildflowers grow best if the end-of-season clippings are gathered and removed, to prepare the soil for next year’s display. Please come along and help us rake up the grass cuttings and sow Yellow Rattle and other native pollinator seeds for bees and butterflies to visit next year. FREE SEED to take home!
There will be activities for all ability levels, so join for some light gardening or a good workout. Meet at the end of the cemetery drive. Dress in robust footwear and clothing, suitable for gardening and the weather. Please bring gloves, a drink and a rake if you have one – or borrow one of ours. And enjoy some good company and cake. Contact Melissa at Cormac / 07354 163236.
WEBINAR: Healthy Land. Healthy Water. Healthy Horse.
Tuesday 3 October, 10:30
Learn about ‘Equiculture’ in Cornwall, on this free webinar designed for professional land, water and biodiversity resource protection advisers. It will explore an initiative to engage the equine sector using an established management tool ‘Equiculture’ to promote and facilitate holistic and sustainable horse ownership.
Drawing on the experience of a Cornwall Wildlife Trust farm adviser engaging with a range of farm businesses and smallholdings to deliver a catchment-based drinking-water protection project called Upstream Thinking. The webinar looks at the meeting, and subsequent collaboration, between a water, soil and wildlife focused project and a new local landowner with multiple horses who wanted to manage their land based on ‘Equiculture’ principles. The beginning of a journey towards local landscape recovery, and a much bigger idea to put another piece in the jigsaw to restore the UK landscape, its ecosystem services and safeguard it for a more positive future.
Any contributions to the Wildlife Groundswell newsletter, blogs, photos, articles and book recommendations most welcome – please email us by 10 October.
Copyright © 2023 Wildlife Groundswell, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website or have been to one of our events.
Our mailing address is:
Wildlife Groundswell
Roaring Stile
St. Keverne
Helston, Cornwall TR12 6RQ
United Kingdom
Add us to your address book