Mute swanCygnus olor Whilst my background is as a botanist, I also love birds and one constant in my time in Lancaster has been the remarkable mute swans that nest on the canal. These birds have consistently reared 6-9 cygnets a year (and as far as I can tell it has been the same pair) READ MORE
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Nature-based nurturing: A day retreat
A relaxing day of pampering On Thursday 15th February we held our first Day Retreat in conjunction with Amy Gunawan Willow Weaving and Leah Dalby, independent Tropic Ambassador. The theme for the day was the botanicals that featured throughout, we learned information about each species (see below), and used them in our willow-woven heart. The READ MORE
Marsh Community Centre project
In December we received our first grant funding from the Pots of Possibility fund (part of the National Lottery Community Fund). This is for a joint project with the Marsh Community Centre where we will be working with local people to: Cook healthy (and more sustainable) meals that are good value, given the cost of READ MORE
The Wellbeing Hour – September
What is ‘Wellbeing’? For our 3 sessions in September we have explore what wellbeing actually is and what we can do to help improve it. We looked at the 5 Ways to Wellbeing and how these might relate to nature: Connect – both with each other and with nature. Learn – with the natural world there READ MORE
Claver Hill – 10th Anniversary
Sunday 27th August 2023 A community farm (in every sense) When they talk about ‘community’ at Claver Hill, it means everything as well as everyone. What do I mean by this? Well, it was clear from our Wellbeing Walk around the space that it is very much managed with the natural community in mind. All READ MORE
Mindfulness and nature
A personal journey Why do I have a photo of a cat here? Well, this was my lovely old Soots when he was in his prime, but I had to say goodbye to him this weekend. Aside from the obvious heart-wrenching grief of losing a precious member of my family, it has made me realise READ MORE
The Storey Gardens
Talk & Walk – Saturday 1st July A hidden gem in the heart of Lancaster The Talk The Talk portion of the day was delivered by Janet, a volunteer who has a wealth of knowledge about The Storey Institute and the Gardens. Janet delivered a fascinating insight into the history of the site (the gardens READ MORE
The magic of June
Dog rose (Rosa canina). Image (c) Ros Jones As a June baby, I am perhaps a little biased that this is the best month of the year. This isn’t without merit, however, as I hope you will see from what I have gathered below. This is based on observations and questions from the Summer Nights walk READ MORE
A weekend of wildlife wonders
Up close and personal with Visions of Landscapes On Saturday 15th April, artist Anita Burrows part of Higherford Mill Artists and I introduced some immersive walks in the beautiful Storey Gardens. This was in conjunction with the fantastic art exhibition, Visions of Landscapes, being held in The Storey. Half-hour walks were given throughout the day offering READ MORE
Talk-walk: Spring birdsong
The aim of this session was to introduce and learn some different bird songs, of both resident and summer migratory species. This can be quite tricky to do in practice, attempting to distinguish one ‘voice’ amongst the many. Even more so as some of the songs are complex and varied. To make it easier, we READ MORE