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Releases 22 July 2008 - Make
nature’s playground part of your school holiday plans! 1 July 2008 - The Folly Farm Centre - a place for inspiration 23 June 2008 - Avon Wildlife Trust experts pool outdoor living tips to encourage happy camping
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Make nature’s playground part of your school holiday plans! The Trust is urging parents and carers who are making summer holiday plans for schoolchildren to take account of new international research that highlights the life-long value of exploring nature’s playgrounds. According to Ruth Worsley, the Trust's community education officer, there’s growing evidence that today’s children spend so much less time playing freely outside than previous generations that they are missing out on crucial lessons for a happy life. She says: "It’s well documented that there has been a big reduction in the amount of time that children now spend making fun for themselves in green places, compared with the childhoods of their parents and grandparents. The reasons are understandable. It’s partly because the choice of entertainments has increased massively; it’s also because the world seems much more dangerous. But medics and psychologists from all around the world are saying that over-protective and over-managed, play presents other risks. They say young people are being denied the chance to gain the important life skills and emotional benefits that only come from roaming free in natural places." To make it easier for local parents and carers to give children green play opportunities, Avon Wildlife Trust is introducing a new programme of summer holiday activities at its Folly Farm nature reserve, Bishop Sutton, this July and August. Starting on Tuesday 29 July, and then on every Tuesday till 29 August, children aged eight to 12 can be dropped off at the reserve for four hours of out-of-doors games, exploration and practical activities, including den-building, animal tracking, wildlife photography and making artwork from found natural materials. Other adventure and nature play days will be happening at the Trust’s Willsbridge Mill reserve, Longwell Green, every Wednesday in August, and the Trust is also supporting three events for children by the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Group. The programme builds on a range of international evidence that green play helps children to become happier and calmer, perform better in school, handle stress and develop self confidence and self-reliance. You can download a round-up of natural play suggestions - all of which come from Trust workers and members, based on their childhood memories. "I do feel very passionate that simple activities one did as a child shouldnt be lost - it was those very first encounters for me that sowed the seed for my life long passion of the natural world and even the itchy powder rosehips put down my back by older brothers!" "we must ensure those magical first encounters with nature such as tadpoling in spring , and blackberrying in summer as well as lying in long grass listening to chirping grasshoppers, conkers smashing and helicopter seed throwing and splashing in puddles are not lost in future generations...." (Download the let's play document here)
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Avon Wildlife Trust experts pool outdoor living tips to encourage happy camping With the camping and festival season about to get underway, Avon Wildlife Trust is using the outdoor living expertise of its staff, members and course leaders to help make sure that time spent under canvas is happy for people and wildlife. The charity has just added a new information sheet to its website, providing a guide to the wild plants and animals which may bewitch, bother or bewilder novice campers, add natural zest to campfire cooking or provide a pickable pick-me-up. Tim McGrath, Avon Wildlife Trust’s chief nature warden, says: “There’s a mile-high pile of research now that says getting closer to nature brings benefits for people of all ages. Camping is a cheap and chilled way to check out exactly how being out-of- doors eases stress, inspires well-being and encourages resourcefulness. But anyone who is heeding the call of the wild for the first time needs to be aware that sometimes the wild calls back! So, we’ve asked our team to share their top tent-life tips and turned them into a free-to-download online guide.” Contributors to the round-up include naturalists, green play leaders and some of the tutors who will be leading activities throughout this year at the Trust’s new Folly Farm Centre, at Bishop Sutton, on topics as diverse as bat identification, badger watching, herbal remedies, wild food foraging and fungi gathering. Tim McGrath adds: “We’re lucky in this area. There’s a huge choice of campsites within easy reach of Bristol and Bath, lots of fascinating wildlife sights to enjoy, and it’s all mostly hazard-free. If only campers use our tips and remember to respect the plants and animals they encounter, then time spent under canvas can be time remembered happily for ever.” Click here to download the guide.
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Science the winner as Government rejects
a badger cull Stephanie Hilborne, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, says: The Wildlife Trusts accept that TB in cattle is a significant problem for farming in the UK and that urgent action is required to combat the disease. We particularly recognise the vital role that the livestock industry can play in the environmentally sensitive management of the countryside and the serious consequences for farmers experiencing a herd breakdown. The Wildlife Trusts hope that this announcement will now provide the basis for the farming community, conservation organisations and the Government to work together to confront this disease through the following measures:
Stephanie Hilborne continued: Editors’ notes Scientific evidence http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/isg/pdf/final_report.pdf Biosecurity and husbandry http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/abouttb/protect.htm Vaccine research *Defra Husbandry Working Group – Comprises British Cattle Veterinary Association, Central Science Laboratory, Defra, individual farmers, National Assembly for Wales Agriculture Department, National Farmers’ Union, Soil Association, State Veterinary Service and The Wildlife Trusts.
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The Folly Farm Centre - a place for inspiration The Folly Farm Centre has teamed up with some of the UK's most acclaimed educators, naturalists and field experts to being you exciting new opportunities. Whether you want to learn more about wildlife or gain skills to promote and interpret the natural world, the Centre has created a wide range of adult courses to meet your needs. Try out a twilight badger watch, find out about food for free, or treat yourself to an all-inclusive residential wildlife film-making weekend! The Folly Farm Centre course programme offers everyone
the opportunity to get involved with their environment and enjoy the
countryside. There's something for everyone - from professional development
to those who already work within the environmental sector, to activities
for those who have a passion for exploring their natural heritage through
art, photography, hands-on craft, or just understanding what makes this
a very special place. The nature reserve at Folly Farm is open all year round - please park in the visitors car park. See here for details of walks at Folly Farm.
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