Belfast hosts ‘Celebrate Wildlife Festival’

The Ulster Wildlife Trust is to hold its ‘Celebrate Wildlife Festival’ at the award-winning Bog Meadows Nature Reserve in Belfast on Saturday.

The day will be packed full of fun and exciting activities for people of all ages including games, talks, demos, music and food all with a wildlife/environmental theme, providing an unmissable opportunity to celebrate and learn more about the Natural World.

The Bog Meadows Local Nature Reserve is a 50 acre wildlife haven in south-west Belfast adjacent to the M1 Motorway and to a large urban population.

Wetland, grassland and woodland habitats within the reserve are home to an array of wildlife including newts, bats, rabbits, field mice, waterfowl, and many important bird species.

The creation of the M1 Motorway in the seventies had a devastating effect on the site and the wildlife at the habitat. Left derelict for more than two decades, the site was saved from development by the local community after several years of campaigning.

A ‘Friends of the Bog Meadows’ Group was formed by local people and a strong partnership evolved between this group, the Ulster Wildlife Trust, local stakeholders, local people and users of the site.

Commenting on the festival, Ulster Wildlife Trust Bog Meadows Nature Reserve Warden, Ross Towers, said: “Visitors will be able to have a go at pond-dipping and butterfly netting, get up close to some wildlife you wouldn't see everyday on Bog Meadows with Belfast Zoo’s beasties and Exploris with their marine touch tank. If that's not enough, you can go on a guided nature walk, get your face painted like your favourite animal or create some wildlife art.”

He continued: “This will be a hands on, get-in-there-and-have-a-good-time, kind of an event - from wildlife hunts and willow weaving, to starfish and stick insects, there’ll be plenty of opportunity to get up close and personal with nature. Enjoyment guaranteed.”

The informative talks and demos will cover themes such as the ‘Birds of Belfast’ and ‘How to Recycle your Waste’, and further activities will be delivered by a wide range of local environmental organisations.

There will also be music from local musicians, pure fun from circus performers, and fairtrade food to sample at the stalls in the ‘Food Tent’.

The event will be held from 11am until 4.30pm on Saturday August 12, and is free of charge.

A free shuttle bus to and from Bog Meadows leaving from Belfast City Centre, Castle Place (Opposite HMV) every hour from 11am to 3pm, with last return to Belfast City Centre at 4.30pm.

For more information, contact the Ulster Wildlife Trust on 028 44830282 or email events@ulsterwildlifetrust.org.

(EF/SP)