Celebrating 100 years of looking after wildlife (From Worcester News)

Celebrating 100 years of looking after wildlife

12:20am Tuesday 4th September 2012 in News

Buy this photo » EAGLE-EYED: From left, EsmŽ Leeder, aged two, Fionn Cocklin, four, and Suzi Richer, trust communications assistant (35121301)

FAMILIES in Worcestershire took a walk on the wild side to help celebrate an important milestone.

Staff and volunteers at the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust challenged people to join their Wildwatchers 100 event in Gheluvelt Park to mark the movement’s centenary.

Children enjoyed getting up close to some of the minibeasts, birds and other wildlife in their quest to find 100 different species of wildlife.

The charity hosted a day of activities including minibeast hunts, tree trails and bird-watching sessions.

The event marked the end of the Wildwatchers school holiday activities, which have run since July.

Debs Richardson-Bull, education officer for the trust, said the day was an opportunity to realise “you don’t have to go to a nature reserve to see wildlife – it really is all around us”.

Throughout 2012 wildlife trusts across Britain are celebrating the foundation of their movement, which started with the creation of the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves by banker and naturalist Charles Rothschild in 1912.

The society eventually became the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts in 2004.