May 2012

Working with Airbus in all Weathers

Joe McSorley the Trust's Community Action Officer has been working this week with a team of nineteen apprentices from Airbus on a new pond digging project at Badocks Wood in Southmead.

Airbus has partnered with the Avon Wildlife Trust to create a new pond area in the area of ancient woodland.

Over the course of the next three weeks teams of Airbus employees as well as other groups from the community will develop a wildlife pond with a platform, sustainable wood fence and hand carved wooden benches which local schoolchildren can use as an outdoor learning space.

The new development aims to encourage the community into their local green spaces and improve the space for those who currently use it. It is hoped that the pond will encourage wildlife and biodiversity in the area.

Joe McSorley said, “Badocks Wood is a beautiful local nature reserve squeezed in between Southmead and Henleaze. One thing that is missing is a wildlife pond so we're working with lots of local volunteer groups including Airbus who are kindly supporting the project!"

Tony Rooke, Head of the Apprentice Programme at Filton, said “I was really impressed with all 19 apprentices who helped out. Despite the wind and driving rain they all showed great team spirit and the tenacity to get the job done, both great attributes that Airbus looks for in its employees. After they were treated to fish and chips for lunch and it was thoroughly deserved.”

Tuesdays are Red Letter Days for green fingered Barbara Vaughan of Winterbourne.

She’s 86 years young and an active member of the Brandon Trust team of volunteers who lend a helping hand at Avon Wildlife Trust’s Willsbridge Mill education and interpretation centre.

Now the Tuesday afternoon group is poised to celebrate its first anniversary of starting work at the Mill which is set amid eight hectares in a steep and densely wooded valley, near Longwell Green.

 Brandon Trust Community Team Service Coordinator Jane Gillard said the link-up with Avon Wildlife Trust's People and Wildlife Project enabled people with learning disabilities to carry out a variety of tasks.

These ranged from sowing seeds and potting-up plants, through to growing herbs and vegetables and carrying out general maintenance and fencing work, she said,

“Barbara and her fellow team members, who are as young as 22, are able to learn new skills and also to gain a great sense of purpose, achievement  and of wellbeing while helping out at the Mill, she said.

Avon Wildlife Trust’s Joe McSorley said "the contribution from Brandon Trust volunteers over the past year has been amazing, they've helped to transform parts of the nature reserve that had become a little neglected. More importantly it has given them an opportunity to work outdoors on purposeful tasks and to enjoy the sense of freedom that we all get from experiencing nature. Hopefully, they'll be coming in to help for many years to come"..

Wildlife at Risk as Drought Spreads

As environmental drought is declared in South West England and the East Midlands, the Wildlife Trusts are reporting an increasing number of negative impacts on wildlife.

The Environment Agency’s declaration of drought comes as Dorset Wildlife Trust warns of streams drying up in the county.

Helen Perkins, Living Landscape Development Manager for The Wildlife Trusts, said: “As the drought conditions worsen, we are hearing of a new crisis for wildlife each day. Dorset Wildlife Trust has reported that sections of winterbournes, small streams which normally flow in winter, did not flow at all last winter, so fish couldn’t spawn there. In some places although fish did spawn, their eggs were threatened with exposure by the drying conditions so water levels had to be raised. Now, the fry could still become entrapped or dry out.

“Good weed growth is needed for their food but low flow restricts this growth, which is a worry.

“These conditions are also leading to additional threats to wildlife, for example through increased fire risk. Sadly, Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Roseannon Downs nature reserve recently suffered an arson attack, likely to have destroyed butterfly larvae and reptiles such as slow worms and lizards. With wildlife under so much pressure, it’s crucial we all take steps to protect it by reducing water use whenever we can.

The Environment Agency has warned the drought could last beyond 2012, and is planning ahead to meet the challenges of water shortages. Helen Perkins continued:

“With an extended period of drought on the cards we must look further ahead and develop long term solutions to water stress, likely to become a more regular feature of life across large areas of the UK. Government must ensure sustainable approaches to water use are integral to the planning and building of new homes and businesses. Water metering and water efficiency measures should become the norm for all new and existing properties.

“We should not wait until the next drought crisis before we implement the more fundamental and longer-term changes that are needed.”

The Wildlife Trusts have produced a factsheet on helping wildlife in the garden cope with drought. To download it visit: www.wildlifetrusts.org/drought-and-wildlife.

Landscape Links

Children from Bishop Sutton School have visited  the Community Farm in Chew Valley with the Trust's  Learning Officer Julie Doherty as part of the new Living Landscape Schools link programme in the Chew Valley.  

The children learnt about soil structure, the difference between organic and conventional farming, organic pest control, the wildlife on the farm and the bugs and insects that are an important part of it all. 

Julie said " The students are investigating the importance of wildlife-friendly farming, sustainable landscapes and the Wildflower Grassland programme which is a key part of the Trust's Living Landscape programme. This will in turn encourage  students to consider future implications of the land use in the area in which they live  and become  proactive in working for its future protection. A teaching resource pack will be created and shared with teachers from surrounding schools in the area, enabling  young people to continue to learn about the living landscape around them.  The trip to the Community Farm has enabled children to find out more about this great local food project.

“For me, each project has presented new opportunities to discover a unique and special place, whilst connecting people with the area they live in,” explained Julie. “Seeing young people excited about their local patch  has given me the greatest pleasure, and I'm confident that with such a start they'll  continue to explore, observe and discover the wealth  of wildlife on their doorstep. “

Another First for Portbury

This picture of a rare water vole on Portbury Wharf's rhynes was sent to us recently! Bernie D'arcy, Portbury Wharf Nature reserve warden was delighted.

" We've known of the presence of these rare mammals on the reserve but never been able to persuade them to pose for a picture before!" she said.

The UK population of water voles is estimated to have crashed by 90% in 20 years, hit by pollution, accidental poisoning by pest controllers, and attacks by mink. They are now one of our rarest mammals. Ratty, in Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows', was a water vole.

Bernie added " We are planning to put this image on the reserve to highlight the importance of the rhyne and to encourage dog walkers to assist with miminimising disturbance to the wildlife that live in it."

First Prize for Trustee

One of our Trustees, Steve Nicholls, has scooped first prize in the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition, in their 'Fragile Landscapes' category, for `Lava Ferns,' a photograph taken in Hawaii where he has made several wildlife films.

Steve is an award-winning film producer who has been a Trust supporter since the very beginning. Issue no 2 of Wildlife magazine (Autumn 1980) boasts a Spotlight on Dragonflies feature written by Steve!  He spoke to us recently about his filming experiences and love of the local landscape.

"After  working with film crews there's nothing like getting out on your own,  stomping around Weston Moor, looking for  fast flying dragonflies - especially the 4 spot dragonfly  - My favourite - still can't resist them!   And when I came back from filming  the big volcanoes in Hawaii this summer I couldn't wait to get back to the grasshopper season - one of my favourite pastimes is listening to autumn grasshopper songs in the hills around Bristol and Bath."

Ploughing a furrow!

Our Feed Bristol Project has just completed ploughing the main growing area on site.

Known as Sandy Fields, this is roughly equivalent to two football pitches in size, and buffer zones have been left around the area for resident wildlife. We've started planting potatoes as a first crop, and are also working on the area that will be turned into raised vegetable beds for disability groups.

Feed Bristol is an exciting community food growing project on 7 acres of beautiful land buzzing with wildlife in Stapleton. Everyone can take part in growing food here. It is a great place to discover how to grow food and get closer to nature. Everyone that gets involved in the project can take away some fresh tasty food too! For details of open days and volunteering opportunities. See the Feed Bristol page for more details.

March 2012

Cautious Welcome on Planning Reforms

The reforms of the planning system announced by the Government have been cautiously welcomed by the Trust.

Steve Micklewright, AWT Director of Community Programmes said, "we were deeply concerned by the original draft proposals published by the government last autumn, but today's reforms seem to go some consid-erable way to allaying our fears, although we are still studying the details"

The new National Planning Policy Framework includes:

• Recognition of the wider services that the natural world can provide including flood management, supporting wildlife and reducing air pollution amongst other services - these ecosystem services are thought to provide £15bn worth of support to the economy each year;
• Support for landscape-scale conservation, green infrastructure and ecological networks and refers to the new Nature Improvement Areas announced recently - this was a major thrust of a recent government White Paper;
• Focuses development on brownfield land as a priority for development, providing it is not of high environmental value, and warns against garden grabbing - many brownfield sites can be important nature havens as well as provide vital greenspace to inner city communities;
• Emphasises the duty to co-operate across local authority boundaries on planning issues - a major issue in the West of England.

Steve added, "this recognition of the scale and importance of the natural environment for its own sake, but also for people and the wider economy is very welcome. We think this recognition is due to the many people who joined us in voicing their concerns about the original proposals."

However, AWT asked for the planning reforms to have a clear objective of restoring, creating and securing the natural environment (not just conserving and enhancing it).  Steve said, "There are many Local Wildlife Sites identified by local authorities in the West of England and these were protected under the old rules. These reforms include a new Local Green Space designation and we need clarification whether they replace Local Wildlife Sites or whether Wildlife Sites are included anyway".

The Framework also requires local authorities to identify 5 years worth of land to satisfy predicted housing demand and have identified at least 10 years worth of land that could be developed.  Steve added, "on first reading, we are just about satisfied that these new rules can  enable the right balance to be struck between the conservation of the natural environment and the pressure for housing development in our region, but this will be a crucial test of this new framework."

For more information call Steve Micklewright on 0117 917 7270 or 07521498633

Site success

Our campaign to stop the sell-off of wildlife sites across Bristol has been continuing.

During March, the Trust made statements at public Neighbourhood Partnership meetings to urge local residents and Councillors not to agree to the sales of certain key areas.

We were delighted to learn that sites were saved at Stockwood, and decisions were deferred at Avonmouth and Kingsweston.

Victory for fact over rhetoric

Defra’s review of the Habitats Regulations is being welcomed by wildlife organisations as a victory for facts over political rhetoric.

The Directives and Regulations are the most important mechanisms for protecting our internationally important wildlife sites – those for which England has a global responsibility.

In the West Country these include iconic landscapes such as  the  Severn Estuary, Salisbury Plain, the Lizard, Dartmoor, and Poole Harbour, and the rich wildlife they support.

The Government's review, published on Thursday 22 March 2012, restates the Government’s support for the Birds and Habitats Directives, and demonstrates that these vital environmental safeguards do not act as a brake on economic development.

Tony Richardson, Regional Director for the RSPB in the South West said “It’s excellent news that the government has now accepted that there’s no evidence that these regulations place “ridiculous costs” on business here in the West Country and across England. We hope that this signals an end of ill-informed rhetoric around “gold plating” and the environment as a “barrier to success”.”

 “We are pleased that the regulations have stood up to scrutiny, just as we always knew they would.

“No evidence was found to back up the suggestion made by the Chancellor, George Osborne, in his Autumn Budget Statement that the regulations are “a ridiculous cost on British business”. The Government’s own review has shown that these comments were misleading rhetoric, with no factual basis”.

The review confirms that the regulations only contributed to delays in English planning decisions when there were gaps in data, or when important areas for wildlife, especially at sea, were not protected.

Springing into life - what can you see?

Here's a challenge for you! We all know that common indicators of spring include the first green spikes of bluebells, drooping catkins and the dawn chorus. In amongst this burst for growth there are some signs of spring that we might not expect - mid to late spring is often as good a time as any to see the some of our special six city dwelling butterflies.

There's a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, species that overwinter in adult form are free to emerge early in the year and secondly, warmth soaked stonework in our cities make them the ideal habitat for early emerging butterflies.

The challenge is to see all of the special six before spring is out - that's when the clocks go forward on 25th March. Look out for them on warmer days as they all like a bit of sun on their back.

The Brimstone
One of our earliest butterflies on the wing, often fairly solitary but also very obvious with the males being sulphur yellow and the females white with a yellow tinge - a bit like the colour of old fashioned sherbet.

The Comma
So called due to a small white comma shaped mark on their wings. Look for them in flight with their burnished orange wings flecked with sooty black and their most obvious characteristic of tatty edges to their wings.

The Peacock
The beauty queen of the bunch with obvious eye spots on both wings. If you can get close to one they make for a great photograph with the subtle pastel hues that make up the complex patterns on their wings.

The Red Admiral
So called not because its striking velvet black with scarlet flashes deemed it an "admirable" butterfly. Most of our UK sightings are migrants which join us from the continent later in the year so any you see in spring will be members of a select bunch of resident Red Admirals.

Small Tortoiseshell
Numbers have dropped significantly in recent years, believed to be due to a parasitic fly infecting them. Look out for the orange, black and white patterns on the wing and the distinctive the blue flashes along the wing edges.

Speckled Wood
The only one of our special six that doesn't overwinter as an adult. Some speckled woods can however, emerge from their larval form as early as March in the right conditions. They're a brown butterfly with creamy markings and some obvious eye spots on their lower wing and often seen flitting around woodland edges.

If you see all six before March 25th then let us know at people@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk

You can check the identity of the species by referring to one of our butterfly ID guides

March 2012

A Healthy Economy Needs a Healthy Environment

The Trust together with Wildlife charities in the south west have called on the Chancellor, George Osborne MP, to put the region’s rich and iconic nature at the heart of economic development in the run up to what could be one of the most important budgets for the environment in decades.

In his Autumn Statement 2011, the Chancellor George Osborne announced a review of the way that two important pieces of European wildlife law are put into practice in England. A weakening of these laws could see such iconic landscapes as the Severn Estuary, Salisbury Plain, the Lizard, Dartmoor, and Poole Harbour, and the rich wildlife they support, at risk from inappropriate development.

The Habitats and Birds Directives have provided valuable protection for Europe's most threatened habitats and species for over 30 years; they are arguably the two most important mechanisms for embedding the value of nature in decision-making.

The coalition of wildlife groups is calling upon people and organisations to support their call by emailing or writing to the Chancellor and contacting their own MPs before the Budget on 21 March.

Steve Grainger, Chief Executive Officer of Avon Wildlife Trust said "The Directives protect some of England's most important conservation sites locally, including the Severn Estuary, Chew Valley, Avon Gorge, and a large area around Bath and Bradford on Avon which is a Special Area of Conservation for bats. Such sites across England are enjoyed by millions of people each year and are vital to the recovery of England's natural environment, as set out in last year's Natural Environment White Paper. Implementation of the Directives can no doubt be improved but any restriction on them will water down the protection of such sites and put them at increased risk." he continued: “The Government in ordering the review is keen to establish if the Directives are a barrier to economic growth and if the UK is doing more than is required in their implementation – the oft repeated criticism is that they are “gold-plated”.

The region’s wildlife charities do however see areas where the Directives could be improved. In a small proportion of cases there are flaws in putting the law into practice. Often this is associated with lack of scientific information on key habitats and species. In these cases the authorities responsible for ensuring the legality of decisions have to act using the “precautionary principle”. Wildlife charities would much rather decisions were based on evidence.

To ensure this happens, and to ensure developers get clear advice, society needs to invest in and support agencies such as Natural England and the Marine Management Organisation to ensure that they have the skills, resources and freedom to give impartial scientific advice to the government.

The charities are also keen to stress that it is vital that they continue to work with planners and industry. Where they have been doing this for many years the charities say there is a much improved understanding of the process and conflict is rare. The wildlife charities are also concerned about potential “over-simplification” of guidance.

Sheepwatch

After a successful winter grazing season at Browns Folly the sheep are ready to return home for the summer to let the plants grow.  Brown's Folly's wildflowers will be growing soon and need the spring and summer to bloom and re-set seed, so the sheep will be leaving in the next few weeks. We'll be welcoming them back come autumn!

The sheep are currently in the holding pen, so if you would like to see them before they go head up this week. 

We will keep you posted once they have finally gone.  Check out the blog for spring pics and news of the sheep brownsfollysheepwatch@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk

Wonderful weir!

We're looking forward to a wet and wild time on our Clapton Moor nature reserve next week, with the installation of a tilting weir, purpose-built to finely manage the water levels in the reserve's fields.

The low-lying fields between Bristol and Portishead below the M5 have been part of the Trust's plans to reclaim the Gordano Valley for breeding waders and wildfowl such as lapwing, snipe and redshank, since the early 1980s. One way the Trust has tackled this is by making the fields wet again, after decades when the fields were drained for agriculture.

"We started by putting in water control measures to retain water and flood our sites," explained Tim Curley, Trust Nature Reserve Manager. "Clay bunds were built at the head of each ditch and sluices inserted, and this worked for some years but the system is now aging and it's harder than ever to get fine control of water levels. The fields have been in danger of drying out again, and we're delighted to discover the tilting weir!"

Tim explained that the Trust has been working with hydrologist Dan Allsop to identify the best way to keep the fields wet, and have identified this pre-fabricated unit which is used by the Internal Drainage Board.

" It's going to be a real challenge to instal it however," said Tim "It's an enormous piece of equipment and the machinery that will transport it is incredibly heavy so we'll have to be particularly careful in moving it across our nature reserve. There's a last window of opportunity in the next week or so, before spring really gets going and plants and invertebrates begin to flourish.

I really hope this will contribute to our programme to bring back breeding waders and wildfowl - I was out on site today and saw nine snipe, so we know the signs are right!"

Spring wiki

Children from Bathford Primary School and Churchfield village school will be making history this week - the history of what is going on as spring arrives on the ground at Brown's Folly nature reserve!

"We're creating a wiki about Brown's Folly which pupils can add to in a similar way to Wikipedia,"  explained Julie Doherty, the Trust's Learning Development Officer. "The children are contributing photos, videos, audio recordings and information about the species and habitats to be found on the reserve, to inspire the next generation of naturalists."

This month they'll be recording birdsong, identifying birds, playing nest-building games and capturing the story of spring at Brown's Folly.

"We started our wiki in the autumn by exploring Brown's Folly and finding out about the bats that live there and its fascinating geology," said Julie. "The children really loved it, and it gave them memorable experiences out in the natural world to bring to life topics learnt at school."

You can see for yourself how the schools get on at http://brownsfolly.wikispaces.com/

Hopping Mad

At this time of year we receive lots of calls at the Trust from people worried that their pond will overflow with froglife when they see thrashing frogs and great clumps of spawn.

But  don't worry - only about one in a hundred tadpoles survive into adulthood to breed.  This is because tadpoles are eaten by other pondlife, especially the larvae of dragonflies while frogs fall prey to many animals including the domestic cat and are a great favourite of grass snakes too.   This small chance of reaching adulthood is the reason why so much frogspawn is laid in the first place. 

Meanwhile, toads and newts will also be heading for their breeding ponds, which in some cases can mean toad carnage on our highways. Toads always return to their birthplace to breed, and this urge is so great that no road will deter them.  The routes they follow are ancient, crossing the same roads and pathways every year - but as cars get faster and traffic levels increase, toads’ journeys to breed have become perilously dangerous for them.  Some volunteer groups arrange toad patrols and carry them across roads in buckets, and it isn’t uncommon to see a traffic sign warning of a `toad crossing’ at this time of year!  If you see one, please do slow down – many toads’ lives depend on it.

Amphibians are now among our most endangered types of creature around the world, but you can help our frogs by creating a wildlife pond in your garden.  Some frogs will spawn in an old sink or bath tub, but the bigger you can make your pond the better. 

Here are  some guidelines on how to create a wildlife pond.  Once you have created your pond, be patient and wait for the wildlife to arrive.  You will be amazed at how quickly your pond will look like it has always been there.

Decision time for wildlife

In its Autumn Budget Statement, the Government spoke about the environment and wildlife in terms that horrified many of us.  Referring to wildlife protection laws as "ridiculous gold plating", the Chancellor made it clear that neither environmental nor social goals would be allowed to stand in the way of business.

Since then, the Government has started a wholesale review of wildlife laws - focusing on the so called Habitat Regulations - that protect our most important sites and threatened species.  The Wildlife Trusts have been closely involved in the review and doing everything we can to stand up for wildlife.

By the end of February, DEFRA will have made recommendations to the treasury and an announcement is expected to be made in March. It may decide to keep the wildlife laws, which have protected so many places that we love, such as the Avon Gorge and the Severn Estuary.  But there is every chance that it decides to weaken or even scrap them.  We need to make sure that this doesn't happen.

The one thing that the Government is likely to listen to is the views of its constituents.  We know that there are tens of thousands of people out there who care passionately about this issue.  We also know that there are MPs who are prepared to listen.

Please write to your local MP and urge them to stand up for wildlife. Tell them about places that mean a lot to you - we have listed some of the places below.  Tell them how important you think it is to make sure these places are properly protected, and that you want future generations to be able to enjoy them too.  

The Government - and more importantly the economy - stand to gain little from weakening this wildlife legislation.  But the potential for shocking and irreversible loss by removing wildlife protection is all too obvious.  If enough of us speak out, we can make sure our best wildlife stays safe.

Please take action now.  We have just a short time to make sure the Government takes the right decision.

Thank you very much for your support.

Severn Estuary - designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for birds and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC )
Chew Valley - SPA for birds
Avon Gorge Woodlands - SAC
Bath (including Brown's Folly) and Bradford on Avon for bats - SAC
Mendip Limestone Grasslands- SAC

Download a sample letter
Details of your local MP
Read more (PDF)

Feed Bristol

The Trust is delighted to announce that thanks to funding from the Big Lottery's Local Food Scheme we're launching a project at Parkside Nurseries near the M32 which will involve everyone in growing healthy, wildlife friendly food.

The 7 acres at Parkside Nurseries is prime agricultural land and the Trust will be spending the next few months making it ready so that a wide range of people can come to the site and get involved.

Steve Micklewright of the Trust said "We will be building a small centre there and making raised beds and special areas so groups of children and wheelchair users can get involved in food growing, while most of the land will be divided by special wildflower corridors and hedges, to create large plots where we will grow vegetables on a scale that will provide tasty food for everyone who gets involved in the project."

If you'd like to get involved please email people@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk

Sell Out Success

The Trust was delighted with the huge success of the talk The Making of Frozen Planet   held at St George's Bristol on Monday 13 February - it was completely sold out, and raised over £5,000 in ticket sales.

Series Producer Vanessa Berlowitz revealed how the most memorable sequences were filmed, and the drama behind the action:

"Everything is meticulously planned. We spent a year in research, talking to the experts. A lot of us have had experience of filming in polar regions, so we had a good sense of what the behavioural sequences were that we were hoping to film ..."

Vanessa Berlowitz is  the series producer of Frozen Planet and director and producer of the ‘Ice worlds’ and ‘Mountains’ episodes for Planet Earth. Vanessa studied human sciences at the University of Oxford, where she took up photography and made her first films. She joined the BBC Natural History Unit in 1991 and went on to become a multiple award-winning director and producer. She has also contributed to a number of books and written on wildlife and conservation for magazines.

Wet and Wild

The Wildlife Trusts welcome a new Government fund of £28 million to clean up England’s rivers and wetlands, and encourage local wildlife to flourish.

The Catchment Restoration Fund announced on  3 February  by Environment Minister Richard Benyon aims to help communities tackle pollution and remove redundant dams, weirs and other man-made structures to create habitats which work for wildlife.

Paul Wilkinson, Head of Living Landscape for The Wildlife Trusts, said:
“Rivers and wetlands teeming with wildlife are an important indicator that the natural environment, on which we all depend, is in good condition. There is much to do to reverse past damage to these habitats.

“Through partnership working on a local level, taking a catchment wide approach, and with sufficient funding and regulation in place, progress can be made. With the help of this new initiative, we hope to see our wonderful wetlands thriving in the future.”

To read Defra’s news release announcing the Catchment Restoration Fund visit: DEFRA

More detail on the Catchment Restoration Fund is available on the Environment Agency website environment agency

Outdoor bound!

It's a  fantastic time to get outdoors and enjoy the wealth of winter wildlife - and with half-term on the horizon, what better way to keep the kids busy?

For the last 3 years the Trust has combined the excitement and adventure of exploring Folly Farm's woodlands and looking for signs of wildlife with the comforts of a warm fire in our Bushcraft and Survival Skills courses.  Hidden deep in the woods of our Folly Farm nature reserve children and families have enjoyed putting their survival skills to the test, working with our tutors to learn how to make shelters, make their own fire using traditional skills, and how to survive by living off the land. 

Jo Morris, the Trust's Learning Development Manager, says "there is nothing quite so satisfying on a chilly day as creating your own fire from scratch and nurturing it to toast your marshmallows and make hot chocolate whilst in the woods. It gives you a warm glow to be able to sit inside your hand made shelter, drinking hot chocolate and eating toasted marshmallows.  It is great to see children and families learning and working together to make their shelters and fires, being outdoors together and just having great fun.  The X Box and TV are soon forgotten as the camouflage stripes appear and the first sparks are created.  Eight year old Alex summed  up his experience last year when he said  'That was the best day ever, I wish I could do that every single day!"

You can also join us at Folly Farm for an exciting Owl Prowl with owl-man Chris Sperring on 11 March, watching the nature reserve come to life in the late afternoon and search for sounds and sightings of the tawny and barn owls that live and hunt in the nature reserve.

If you would like to know more about our Bushcraft courses or any of our other courses please contact courses

• Half Term Bushcraft for 7-12 year olds Wednesday 15th February 10am - 2pm