Preview: Bristol-Bath Festival of Nature

A wonderful event for people of all ages, the Bristol-Bath Festival of Nature places particular emphasis on attracting younger folk. Festival manager, Bethany Squire, tells Julian Owen why.

 What’s the importance of engaging youngsters?

The earlier you can get people interested and excited about wildlife, the more it will stick with them. They’ll feel wildlife belongs to them, that it’s their responsibility. Even by the time they’re young adults, it’s much more difficult to get that message across – people have decided what they like and don’t like. Getting people excited is the key, and why we’re all here. 

Can people get involved in the festival before June?

People can look at the website to see how they can might take action beforehand. We have five main actions for people to choose any or all of:

Create: A wildlife habitat, such as a pond or an insect hotel.

Observe: See what’s out there, start to learn how to identify wildlife. Look at our website to help identify what’s in your garden, and who to tell – you can submit the information to your local records centre.

Support: Join an organisation like Avon Wildlife Trust, RSPB, your school wildlife club, etc

Speak up: We’re encouraging people to have more of a say in decisions made around wildlife. It might be by writing to your MP, responding to a consultation or, for children, asking a headteacher to do more for wildlife habitats around your school.

Volunteer: In whatever wildlife activity is out there.

 What’s new at this year’s festival?

The Bristol and Bath Festivals of Nature will be a whole two-week programme, rather than two separate festivals. At the end of the Bristol leg there’ll be a big procession, the festival will get on a boat, and journey down the river towards Bath. Over the fortnight there’ll be events and activities along the river – bat walks, pond dipping, nature trails, etc – then the festival will happen in Bath.

 At festival’s end, what can you to keep the enthusiasm going?

That’s the million dollar question. The main thing is to get people excited about nature. We hold the festival in the city because there might be people who don’t have the chance to go out and about, who think that to do something with nature you have to be in the countryside. You can do all these things from your back garden, from a window, or walking down the street. We want people to come, get excited by these hands-on, interactive activities, then realise ‘I can do this at home, and it’s free’.

 So who’s coming to the festival?

The BBC, who tend to bring cool thermal imaging cameras and other things to try out; Bristol Zoo often bring bugs and animals you can hold; Bristol University and UWE bring hands-on, cutting-edge research to get involved with; the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, National Trust, Avon Wildlife Trust, RSPB, I could go on and on.

 What has been your personal highlight of the festival to date?

North Somerset Butterfly House usually come down with a butterfly tent. You can step inside, it’s filled with plants and butterflies, and if you stand very still they come and land on you. Being able to have that experience on Bristol harbourside is just amazing.

Bristol-Bath Festival of Nature, June 11-25: Ffi: www.bnhc.org.uk/festival-of-nature