Come along to one of our feature events!
In the build up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games we have been running a series of Meet the Species events engaging audiences at music fesitvals, agricultural shows and schools events up and down the UK. Check out this Summers upcoming programme (more to be announced soon) and scroll down to find our archive of last years events.
Greenwich Park
In May 2012 the Meet the Species team will be working with the Field Studies Council and local Get Set schools to survey the nature trail on Greenwich Park in the very shadow of the new Olympic Stadium. This is an event for local schools and not a public event.
Bristol Olympic Torch Relay
The Olympic Torch will pass through the BNHC hometown of Bristol on the International Day of Biodiversity at the end of May 2012. After sseeing the Torch pass out of Bristol, the Meet the Species team will be out surveying two diverse habitats with the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project and children from our local Get Set schools, just a stones throw from the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge. This is an event for local schools and not a public event
Bristol BioBlitz
Once again our great big BioBlitz in Bristol will be a Meet the Species feature event, this year taking place at the beautiful Arnos Vale Cemetery on May 25/26th. Can we beat last years record of 804 species set at Tyntesfield National Trust? Check out our BioBlitz pages for more events going on near you, most of which are also accredited Meet the Species events, helping us find our 2,012 species.
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Teviot goes 'Mad About Meadows'
As part of the London 2012 'Mad About Meadows' project, the local community of Teviot Estate in East London will be planting their very own wildflower meadows this spring. These beautiful blooms will be in flower by the end of June and on the 30th the Meet the Species team will be helping the local youth groups and residents survey the area to see just how much life the meadows attract.
WOMAD
Look out for the Meet the Species team at WOMAD world music festival this July. We will be surveying the ancient arboretum in Charlton Park day and night to see what marvelous creatures can be found between the stages. Taking place at the same time as the Olympic opening ceremony – WOMAD will be the start of a tense few weeks as the team and public race to find our last remaining species on the list before the closing of the games in September! Help us tick off the list here.
Wilderness Festival
With the amazing adventures of last summer, we couldn't resist the invitation to return to Wilderness for the closing weekend of the London 2012 Olympic Games and explore some more of the amazing ancient woodland and parkland at Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire. Meet us there on the 10th-13th August.
Last Summers Events Archive
Read on to see what we got up to in summer 2011
Bristol BioBlitz
Our first event took place in May 2011, close to home at the Bristol BioBlitz at Tyntesfield National Trust. Amazingly 804 different species were found onsite, setting a record for the event, click here to view the records! Can our BioBlitzers better this again next year?
For more information please visit www.bristolbioblitz.org
Newcastle Community Green Festival
On June 4th and 5th the Meet the Species team ventured up to Newcastle to find species in Leaze's Park - right in the heart of the city -at the 16th Newcastle Community Green Festival, an annual free event run entirely by volunteers and offering a huge range of entertainment, activites, workshops, and information to spread a message of environmental protection and social justice, all running on green power sources. We discovered a grand total of 77 species which you can view here; and for more details, check out our blog.
Cheltenham Science Festival
On Saturday 11th June Meet the Species was in the Discover Zone, a free exhibition of "Interactive Science for all ages" at Imperial Gardens as part of the Cheltenham Science Festival. We were able to find 45 species in and around the rest of the interactive science workshops. To find out which species we found in the Imperial Gardens click here.
Pembrokeshire Fish Week
On June 29th we held a special school day event to celebrate the diverse marine life found in Pembrokeshire's rock pools, in collaboration with staff at the Darwin centre. The event was part of Pembrokeshire Fish Week 2011, which celebrated the county's first-class seafood, spectacular coastline, wonderful clean beaches and fascinating maritime heritage. In total we found 67 species during our first coastal event, of which you can view here.
Great Yorkshire Show
Between the 12th and 14th of July, we attended the Great Yorkshire Show, one of the largest agricultural shows in the UK. In amongst the cows, sheep and pigs, we were able to find an amazing number of much smaller creatures in around the trees, grasses and bushes at the showground. Over the course of the weekend we found an incredible 258 species!
WOMAD Festival
At the end of July we made the short trip to WOMAD - the World of Music, Arts and Dance - Festival near Malmesbury, Wiltshire; our first music-festival of the summer. Three days of nature walks, including a bat walk and laying small mammal traps produced a grand total 166 species, which you can view here. Learn more about our experiences at WOMAD at the Meet the Species blog, or view the photos.
Lollibop Festival
On the 5th, 6th and 7th of August, Meet the Species attended Lollibop Festival in Regent's Park, London, the only festival in the UK where the entertainment is all for children. Despite some very wet thunderstorms we were still able to find quite a few species - which you can view here. You can also see the photographs from Lollibop here.
Wilderness Festival
On the weekend of the 13th and 14th of August we attended Wilderness Festival in Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire. Set in ancient woodland, with beautiful lakes on site, Wilderness proved a fantastic site, and you can read more about our adventures on the blog. You can also view the species list here.
Green Man Festival
Meet the Species made its final festival excursion of the 2011 summer to Green Man festival on the 19th - 21st of August. Located in the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park, Green Man proved to be a fitting end to a great summer, and we were able to find over 200 different species, to view the list click here.
