Get closer to the natural world this Love Nature Day
The Parks Trust, the self-financing charity that looks after more than 6,000 acres of parkland in Milton Keynes, has joined forces with local nature groups to celebrate Milton Keynes’ natural world - and everyone is invited!
Love Nature Day returns to Howe Park Wood on Saturday 1 July from 11am until 4pm. Aiming to bring local people closer to nature, there will be lots of fun things to do inside the Education and Visitor Centre and plenty to explore outside in the stunning local woodland too.
What’s in store:
* Bug-hunting to find minibeasts
* Guided walks around the ancient woodland
* Bird-ringing demonstrations and talks
* Specimens from the Natural History Museum at Tring
* All-things flying mammals with North Bucks Bat Group
* The chance to observe honeybees at work in their hive
* Caribbean sounds of Steel Pantasy
There’ll be story-telling and outdoor games too, as well as special guests from Wolverton Swifts Group, Butterfly Conservation, The Wildlife Trust, RSPB and MK Gallery. More event information is available at theparkstrust.com/events/love-nature-day
Howe Park Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), is home to more than 200 plant species, 30 different species of butterfly and a variety of birds. The site also has great facilities for visitors including Grounds café and public toilets. Parking is limited, but there’s plenty of space at nearby Westcroft shopping centre.
About The Parks Trust
Established as a charity in 1992 The Parks Trust expertly cares for over 6,000 acres of green space in Milton Keynes including river valleys, ancient woodlands, lakes, parks and landscaped areas along the city’s grid roads.
In addition to managing and developing local landscapes, the charity’s staff and volunteers also work hard to support local wildlife and biodiversity, provide valuable facilities for park users, deliver extensive education programmes and connect communities with events and activities.
In most towns and cities, parkland is owned by the local authority, but Milton Keynes’ founders were pioneers and decided to do things differently. Their vision was to create a new town where the parkland and landscapes would be protected forever by a charity that was separate from local government. Doing so would ensure that, as the new town grew, its green spaces would never be compromised or required to fight for funding.
The Parks Trust was given an endowment of cash and commercial property when it was set up thirty years ago and returns on these investments generate the primary source of income required to fund its wide-ranging work.
As Milton Keynes grows, so does The Parks Trust. Each year, the charity takes on new green spaces and endowments from developers and ensures that all new areas of the city benefit from the same quality of inspiring, connected landscape.
