The Wildlife Trust was able to run weekend sessions for primary school age children and their families after funding of £5,000 from the Community Fund at The Leys School, Cambridge.

The grant allowed staff and volunteers to plan different activities at Trumpington Meadows Nature Reserve aiming to connect nearby communities with local wildlife, support them to take action for wildlife, and teach them how to make use of wilder green spaces in a sustainable way. 

The Wild in the Meadow programme included monthly themed weekend sessions where young people and their families used natural materials to learn new crafts, discovered insect life on the reserve, used bat detectors at night, and were given an introduction to conservation grazing.

The programme also included school holiday sessions which involved wild play, pond dipping and nature themed storytelling, as well as drop in sessions with free activities for children and guided workshops with the local Beavers and Brownies groups.

Rebecca Neal, Communities and Education Officer, said: “It was lovely to engage with the local community and bring them closer to nature. Putting on these kinds of events is vital to introduce young people to the natural world around them, and can help inspire a lifelong love of wildlife.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to the Community Fund at The Leys for supporting this work and helping us reach new young nature explorers.”

To talk to the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants about how your organisation can support conservation and community engagement work email cambridgeshire@wildlifebcn.org