50 Years Wild

We are excited to announce that we hosted our Youth Debate event, 'YESS 19' (Youth Environment Summit Staffordshire),  with an environmental takeover at Civic Buildings in Stafford in the Council Chambers. Schools and individuals across the county participated on the 11th April to discuss numerous environmental issues along with local businesses that will effect the future of Staffordshire and beyond such as: plastics, re-wilding, green spaces vs people plus more.  The event was live-streamed on our website for other schools and members of the public to tune in and watch. Workshops were run with schools in the afternoon to discuss the debate topics further.  Feedback from the attendees will help shape the Trusts business strategy for the next few years.

On the evening of Friday 20th September on #GlobalClimateStrikeDay, we held a wildlife talk, 'Wildlife Road Trip' and invited the public to come and listen. Wildlife TV presenters Iolo Williams and Martin Hughes-Games, known for their conservation and wildlife work presented the show - you may recognise them from shows such as BBC Springwatch! The wildlife TV presenters teamed up for an amusing and informative show packed with facts and fun for the whole family. Extremely wild about wildlife, these two brilliant and entertaining enthusiasts took the audience on a funny and fascinating journey. The audience were able to learn about wildlife, the presenters work history and also get a sneak peak insight as to what wildlife TV presenting is like on shows such as Springwatch and learnt some of the interesting things it entails.  The 'Wildlife Road Trip' themed event was held at the Lichfield Garrick. The Trust also had a Wilder Future stand at the event where people could find out how to get involved with the Trust's latest campaign that promotes saving wildlife and wild places that are under threat. Find out more about the campaign here

The Wolseley Centre, the Trust’s home since 2003, has undergone a redevelopment, which has seen the creation of a new café with stunning views over Swan Lake to enrich the visitor experience, a revised gift shop, a new car park offering more spaces, improved interpretation and introducing new features across the well-visited site. The new-look centre was officially opened on 12th June by Staffordshire Dignitaries (find out more here). Another key part of the exciting upgrade of the facilities includes the construction of a purpose-built environmental education facility. The new building will feature a cutting-edge environmental design that delivers the perfect space for learning about nature in harmony with the natural landscape in which it will be located. This is set to be completed later on in the Trusts anniversary year. 

30 Days Wild is The Wildlife Trust's UK month-long nature campaign where people are encouraged to do one random 'act of wildness' for each day in June. This could be as simple as going for a walk or doing some bird watching! Mid June in 2019, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust held their Big Wild Weekend as part of the campaign, where everyone is encouraged to do something wild and get outdoors. On the Big Wild Weekend, 15th-16th June, the Trust launched their Big Weekend Wildlife Watch survey working with Staffordshire Ecological Record. 300 people across the county signed up to take part and were asked to head outdoors to their local green space (park, garden or nature reserve) and spot 30 key species and to then send their results in to the Trust.  By recording species people were helping the Trust analyse the state of Staffordshire's wildlife. As part of the campaign, there was a FREE spotting booklet with facts about wildlife.