Out & About June 2017

Random acts of wildness Get closer to nature with 30 Days Wild every day this June says WENDY TOBITT from the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust

Scything at Audrey’s Meadow

S eeing the world through the eyes of our children is one of the best ways to enjoy 30 Days Wild, the Wildlife Trust’s annual campaign to encourage all of us to be a little bit closer to nature. Going on daily adventures to explore and discover is all part of 30 Days Wild, a nationwide campaign to encourage more people to discover their local nature in easy ways, and feel the benefits. Researchers at the University of Derby asked people taking part in the initiative how they felt after finishing the challenge. Dr Miles Richardson, Director of Psychology, who led the study, said: “The impact of 30 Days Wild adds to the compelling argument for bringing nature into our everyday lives. “Two months after taking part in 30 Days Wild, there was a 30 per cent increase in the number of people who reported their health as excellent. “Last year’s results also show people’s happiness continued to improve after 30 Days Wild ended, which illustrates its sustained impact.

benefitted most were younger adults and those who weren’t nature lovers.” What will you do in West Berkshire this June? It’s easy and fun, and it will open your eyes to seeing nature in a new way. Be inspired by these suggestions for Random Acts of Wildness, and create your own. Share them with others using #30DaysWild and see them on the BBOWT website at www.bbowt.org.uk n Go for a walk on Greenham Common or in Bowdown Woods and create your own artwork using leaves, twigs, feathers and pebbles. Take a photo and share on social media #30DaysWild. n Make your own pollinators’ patch at home with a tub or hanging basket of nectar-rich flowers and watch the butterflies and bees move in. n Meet the neighbours: create a hedgehog highway by putting a CD-size hole in your fence and encourage your neighbours to do the same thing; you will help any local hedgehogs travel the 1-2km that they do each night. n Start a nature table at school or at home. Feathers, snail shells, mosses, flower petals and old bird’s nests make great talking points.

n Challenge yourself to learn something new about nature. On June 11 there’s a guided walk at Decoy Heath nature reserve near Aldermaston to discover southern marsh-orchids and dragonflies, or learn to scythe a hay meadow at Audrey’s Meadow, Greenham on 24 June. n Go for an early morning walk, you’ll be amazed to discover the different creatures that are about at dawn; hear the dawn chorus and catch the perfume of garden flowers before the heat of the day. n Explore a local nature site. Take a walk around a churchyard or local park to discover wildlife in hidden places. n Admire the setting sun

Southern Marsh orchid

from the top of the Berkshire Downs or Wayfarer’s Walk, a pub garden beside the Kennet & Avon Canal, or your bedroom window. Listen to birds going to roost, and watch bats taking their first flight of the night.

“This is important as it is happiness and connecting with nature that influence improvements in health. “Our study also shows that those who

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT LOCAL WILDLIFE EVENTS www.bbowt.org.uk/whats-on To download your 30 Days Wild pack go to www.wildlifetrusts.org/30dayswild Pictures: Rob Appleby, Lizzie Wilberforce

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