Celebrating 30 Years
30th Anniversary Birthday Celebrations
Saturday 2nd July 11.00am – 4.30pm
We invite everyone to come along and celebrate 30 years of the nature reserve this July, with a host of family events to enjoy on the day, all of which are *** FREE*** :
|
Time |
Event |
|
11.00am |
Welcome speech at marquee on the terrace |
|
11.10am |
Official Opening of the 30th Anniversary Trail |
|
11.15am |
Anniversary trail Walk (part) |
|
11.30am |
Forest Bathing experience * |
|
11.45am |
Tree Walk * |
|
12.00 |
History Walk * |
|
12.45pm – 2.00pm |
Teddy Bears Picnic on main terrace |
|
2.00pm |
Children’s Animal Safari Trail & Quiz |
|
3.00pm |
Pond Dipping at Conker Pond * |
|
3.30pm |
AGM & Visitor Engagement |
|
4.00pm |
Photography / Art competition results announced |
|
4.20pm |
Thank You and closing speech |
N.B. Events marked with an Asterix (*) can be booked in advance at www.eventbrite.co.uk
The events will be available to book from midday on Tuesday 14th June 2022
Search for Vinters Valley Nature Reserve
There will be a marquee, seating and displays on the main terrace, in the heart of the nature reserve.
Forest Bathing Experience: 1 Hour
Organised by our good friends Jayne and Jules at ‘BE … naturally’ this is a wonderful opportunity to learn how to relax and appreciate your natural surroundings, using all your senses. Jayne and Jules will provide you with a free 1-hour taster session, showing how to get back in touch with nature. Visit their website www.benaturally.co.uk for more information on Forest Bathing. A great chance to try out this Japanese inspired nature therapy.
Tree Walk: 1 Hour
Local tree enthusiast and volunteer at the nature reserve, Alan, will take you on 1 hour walk around parts of the nature reserve to identify and talk about some of the stunning trees to be found in the nature reserve, many of which were planted more than 150 years ago by previous owners of the land, the Whatman family. If you have often marvelled at some of the wonderful trees in the nature reserve and wanted to learn more about them, this is a great opportunity, not to be missed.
History Walk: 45 minutes
Many visitors often ask questions about what the land used to look like when it was owned by the Whatman family, where the old house used to stand, what remains can still be seen. Steve our warden will lead you around parts of the reserve closely linked to the Whatman family, show you a 1869 map of the area and answer all your questions. Always popular, you would be wise to book in advance, via Eventbrite, for this walk.
Teddy Bears picnic: 1 hour 15 mins
Bring your own picnic rug, food and drinks and enjoy an open-air picnic on the terrace over lunchtime. We will have a marquee and toilet available and straw bales to sit on. Why not have a relaxing family picnic in the nature reserve, bring along a favourite teddy bear, or even dress as a teddy bear!
Children’s Animal Safari Trail & Quiz: About 1 hour
We have put together a short, 1 km family trail, suitable for children aged 3 – 8 years old, with 10 numbered animal signs to find along the trail and fun quiz by the lake. It’s a wonderful way to explore the nature reserve as a family and every child who completes the trail will receive a certificate. Map and signposts will be provided, along with volunteers to guide you if need any help.
Pond Dipping: Between 3.00 pm – 3.45pm
Always popular and a wonderful way for children to learn about nature, we will be organising pond dipping sessions for children at one of our wildlife ponds (not the main lake). For safety reasons tickets must be booked in advance, via Eventbrite, for this event.
Photography & Art Competition Results: 4pm
We have been running a photography and art competition this spring since the start of April. This is a chance to view the entries in our main marquee and find out who the winners are.
Find out more about the nature reserve
Meet the volunteers and Warden who look after the nature reserve, on behalf of the community, and find out more about the nature reserve and how you can support our work, become a friend of the reserve, adopt a tree, bird box or bat box etc. There will be displays and volunteers available to talk to in the main marquee on the terrace throughout the day, as well as a short AGM & visitor engagement session at 3.30pm.
We hope you will enjoy some, or all of the activities, we have put together for our 30th Anniversary Birthday celebrations on Saturday 2nd July and we would love to see you on the day. If you are particularly interested in any of the events marked with an asterix (*) we highly recommend you book a place via Eventbrite, to avoid disappointment. ***All events are free***. However, should you wish to make a donation to help towards the running of the nature reserve, collection boxes will be available on the day.