Love Nature Festival aims to connect Shropshire people with their surroundings
Meadow seed harvesting, farm trails and a green festival all feature on the calendar for the Shropshire Love Nature Festival which is underway across the county.
The festival will run for three weeks to August 6 with almost 40 events aimed at connecting Shropshire people with the county’s beautiful natural surroundings. It is sponsored and organised by the Shropshire Good Food Partnership.
All events, many of them free, are run by local organisations and businesses aiming to share their skills and knowledge to help protect Shropshire’s natural beauty.
They include the Cambrian Railway orchard project sited alongside the railway line in Oswestry, a meadow seed harvesting workshop in Ratlinghope, the Shropshire Young Ramblers litter pick and events organised by Shropshire Wildlife Trust including a virtual seashore.
The festival also incorporates the first Wellington Green Festival on August 5. It aims to showcase local sustainable businesses, community groups, campaign groups and charities all sharing a vision of a sustainable world. It also features an art exhibition titled The Great Outdoors.
Also on August 5 will be the Shropshire Outdoor Show at the Preston Montford field centre near Shrewsbury.
Fordhall Organic Farm near Market Drayton has also organised several events over the three weeks including farm trails, Wendy’s Wildlife Wednesday and Buff’s Edible Bugs.
Paul Newman of the Shropshire Good Food Partnership said the Shropshire Love Nature Festival was designed to highlight the work that was already going on in Shropshire to connect people with their natural surroundings.
“We hope our glorious festival will help everyone learn a little more about our wildlife and the environment and understand the urgent need to preserve and enhance our biodiversity.
“Being closer to nature has tremendous benefits not only on a global level but also for the health and wellbeing of individuals. The Shropshire Love Nature Festival is packed full of events to help us learn how we can better appreciate and protect our county’s wonderful natural surroundings,” he said.
The partnership is also challenging local photographers to join the festival by sending in pictures that capture the county’s wildlife and landscapes, to be featured on the organisation’s website and social media.
Further information on the Shropshire Love Nature Festival can be found on the website at shropshirelovenaturefestival.org or by emailing the organisers at shropshirelovenature@gmail.com.
