Glow Wild in the Dark

23 November 2009

It was a dark and, thankfully, not so stormy night that drew us to the Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve. Natural England, with A Rocha UK assisting, put on a fantastic event designed to let people of all ages experience the reserve at night. A lantern-lit path led visitors to stations within the reserve. There were small mammal and bat stations, complete with live animals. Glow-stick lit signs along the way gave important facts about the reserve. Our own Helen Demopoulos ran a station about owls, including the opportunity to sift through owl pellets for bones. The kids (and quite a few adults) loved it. And who can forget the story of Fergus the fungus and the inimitable Green Man? The circuit was completed with a stop for tea and biscuits hosted by the local A Rocha Friends group. Before the night, 160 had booked a place! Definitely a successful evening and another chance to strengthen our partnership with Natural England.

The local A Rocha Friends group met several times ahead of the event for planning and fellowship. On the night, we helped set up and then met together to fortify with warming, homemade soups and local bread. If you live within or near the Chilterns, why not join us to help plan future events. Email us on ian.swaffield@arocha.org.

For more on the Chiltern Gateway Project see here.