The Trust was on hand with slow worms, newts, and wild activities to engage people with nature and encourage them to take up the 30 Days Wild challenge.
‘The Little Welly’, which is all about getting children out into nature, took place at Wintershall Estate in Bramley. Families flocked to see slippery slow worms and newts brought along by the Trust, and to take part in free wild activities like leaf bashing art, fire-lighting, minibeast hunting and marshmallow toasting!
“It was great to see children getting so excited about holding real, living slow worms and digging out wriggly creepy crawlies from our minibeast trays,” said the Trust’s Events Manager Sophie Coad. “And their mums and dads learnt a thing or two about our wildlife too!
“We hope events like these will get more families out and exploring the natural world around them. We had a lot of interest in our Wild Explorers Holiday Clubs and parents were really keen to get involved in our 30 Days Wild challenge in June.”
Engaging with nature is proven to be great for your physical and mental wellbeing. That’s why, in Mental Health Awareness Week, Surrey Wildlife Trust is encouraging more people to have regular contact with nature.
The 30 Days Wild challenge asks everyone to do something wild every single day in June – be it going for a stroll in the great outdoors, having a wild picnic, or planting some flowers and feeding the birds.
The challenge helps wildlife and it helps you, too. Research carried out by the University of Derby shows that taking part in the challenge makes you happier and healthier, reconnecting you with the natural world and balancing your emotions.
This year’s campaign is all about making neighbourhoods wilder by doing little actions like feeding your neighbourhood’s birds, doing a local litter pick, or cutting hedgehog holes in fences.
What’s more, it’s backed by wildlife TV presenters Kate Humble and Surrey-born Nick Baker, who are both urging us to go wild every day in June!
Nick Baker said: “It’s so important for us all to have regular contact with nature – I know it makes me feel happier and healthier. Taking the 30 Days Wild challenge is a brilliant way to reconnect with your own wild side!”
Taking part in 30 Days Wild is FREE and open to people of all ages. Schools, families, businesses, community groups and individuals can all sign up. You’ll get a FREE pack of goodies crammed with wild inspiration, including a booklet of ‘Random Acts of Wildness’, a wall chart to record your wild activities, and wildflower seeds. There are special packs for schools, too!
... and don’t forget to share the fun of #30DaysWild with us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.