2013 EVENTS!

• • • HAPPY NEW YEAR!! • • •

2013 is Gwent Wildlife Trust's 50th Anniversary!!

We have a whole list of wonderful events set up for this year...
So here's a few to put in your calendar!!..  All going on at either the Environmental Resource Centre (ERC) or Silent Valley Nature Reserve.

Saturday 26th January » "Brilliant Birds" - CANCELLED!

11am - 3pm @ ERC

FREE for members; £3 per family for non-members.

Join the team in Ebbw Vale for a day of bird related fun! Enjoy hot drinks, welshcakes, and plenty of arts and crafts!

Friday 8th February » "Basic Hedgelaying for Beginners"

10am - 4pm @ Silent Valley
FREE!  
Booking essential.
Come along and learn how to prepare a hedge for laying in a South Wales style!
Suitable footwear and clothing required.

Thursday 14th February » "Silent Valley Guided Walk"

10:30am - 12:30pm @ Silent Valley

FREE for members; £3 for non-members.
Booking essential.

A delightful walk around the stunning valley-side woodland reserve of Silent Valley led by the reserves officer Tom.  This walk does require a reasonable level of physical fitness and appropriate footwear and clothing.

*This event is weather-dependent so please contact us beforehand!

Wednesday 6th March » "Permaculture Basics"
10:30am - 3pm @ ERC
FREE for members; £5 for non-members.
Booking essential.
Heard a bit about permaculture and want to know more?  This one day workshop will introduce you to the basic principles of permaculture and some of the techniques used to design sustainable systems to benefit people and wildlife.  Lunch can be provided at an additional cost – please contact
us for more information.

Friday 15th March » "Basic Butterfly Identification"
10am - 2pm @ ERC (or nearby venue)
FREE!
Booking essential.
Discover the basics of identifying and recording butterfly species! This is ideal if you want
to start recording local species, with the opportunity to get involved in surveying at Silent Valley Nature Reserve over the summer. Refreshments provided but please bring a packed lunch!

Wednesday 10th April » "Gardening With Nature"
10:30am - 3pm @ ERC (or nearby venue)
FREE for members; £5 for non-members.
Booking essential.
Find out how following permaculture design principles and techniques can help to design a garden which can be very productive and beneficial to wildlife. Permaculture is based on observations of nature and how it works so ideal if you want to develop a more natural form of gardening. 
Lunch can be provided at an additional cost – please contact us for more information.

Thursday 25th April » "Introduction to Woodland Management"
1:30pm - 4pm @ Silent Valley
FREE for members; £3 for non-members.
Booking essential.
This guided walk will introduce you to the basic concepts behind managing woodlands for people and wildlife. Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear and bring refreshments.

Wednesday 8th May » "Gardening With Bees"
10:30am - 3pm @ ERC (or nearby venue)
FREE for members; £5 for non-members.
Booking essential.
Bees need our help! This one day workshop will introduce you to the needs of bees and demonstrate how you can help them on your patch - and you don't need acres of land, even a small windowbox can provide beneficial habitats for our buzzy friends!  
Beneficial plants will be available for sale. 
Lunch can be provided at an additional cost – please contact us for more information.

Wednesday 15th May » "Permaculture Design Tools & Techniques"
10:30am - 3pm @ ERC (or nearby venue)
FREE for members; £5 for non-members.
Booking essential.
Come along and learn the basic tools and techniques used to design sustainable projects such as gardens, workspaces, and lifestyles!
Lunch can be provided at an additional cost – please contact us for more information.

Friday 31st May » "Silent Valley Family Fun Day!"

11am - 3pm @ Silent Valley

FREE for members; £5 per family for non-members.
Booking essential.

Fun for all the family in the great outdoors! Bring a picnic to enjoy among the trees or near the stream and enjoy the beautiful spring-time scenery at Silent Valley.

Thursday 20th June » "Dragons & Damsels"
10:30am - 3pm @ ERC (or nearby venue)
FREE for members; £5 for non-members.
Booking essential.
A wonderful opportunity to learn about these beautiful creatures and see them in their full glory!
*Weather permitting!

Thursday 1st August » "Woodfest!"
10:30am - 4:30pm @ Silent Valley

FREE! (donations welcome)

Help us celebrate 50 years of Gwent Wildlife Trust AND 100 years of the British Ecological Society at one of our biggest reserves – Silent Valley.  Lots of fun and informative activities for everyone to enjoy, including green woodworking, sheepdog demonstrations, wildlife crafts, and guided walks!!

Thursday 8th August » "Moth Mania"
9pm til LATE @ ERC
FREE for members; £3 for non-members.
Booking essential.
Join local naturalists to find out all sorts of interesting things about moths in Blaenau Gwent!
*Weather permitting.

Thursday 15th August » "Forest School Family Funday!"

10:30am - 3pm @ Silent Valley

FREE for members; £5 per family for non-members.
Booking essential.

A fun-filled day exploring the woods, finding out who lives there and trying out new skills! Suitable for children from three years upwards with parents/guardians.

Suitable footwear & clothing required!

Thursday 22nd August » "Reptile Ramble"

11am - 2pm @ Silent Valley

FREE for members; £5 per family for non-members. 
Booking essential.

Join Tom and Rebecca on a guided walk to see what reptiles (and other interesting wildlife!) you can spot as you ramble around Silent Valley Nature Reserve.

Thursday 29th August » "Minibeast Adventures!"

10:30am - 3pm @ Silent Valley

FREE for members; £5 per family for non-members. 
Booking essential.

Come on an adventure looking for minibeasts amongst the trees, flowers and maybe the streams! Suitable clothing must be worn and under 16s to be accompanied by an adult.

Wednesday 4th September » "Farming & Conservation - A Traditional Welsh"

10:00am - 2:30pm @ ERC (or nearby venue)

£6 (to include light lunch and refreshments)
Booking essential.

For centuries, Wales has been shaped by small scale farming appropriate to the environment in which it was carried out. Discover this traditional approach to farming and how it can help inform our conservation efforts today!

Wednesday 4th September » "Bat & Moth Walk"

9pm til LATE @ Silent Valley

FREE for members; £3 non-members.
Booking essential.

A fantastic opportunity to learn about the bats and moths that make Silent Valley Nature Reserve their home. After a guided walk with bat detectors, you will have the chance to see a variety of moths caught that evening.

*Weather permitting!

Tuesday 15th October » "All About Hedgehogs"

6pm - 8pm @ ERC (or nearby venue)

FREE! (donations welcome - split between GWT and Hedgehog Hospital).
Discover all you need to know about hedgehogs and how you can help them throughout the year, particularly through the winter. Keith will bring along a special guest for you to meet!

Thursday 17th & 24th October » "Autumn Lectures - Uplands & Post-industrial Landscapes & Wildlife"
6pm - 8pm @ ERC (or nearby venue)

£5 for members; £8 for non-members per lecture (includes refreshments and a light buffet).
Booking essential.

A series of talks led by local naturalists that highlight the unique nature of upland landscapes, including post-industrial habitats and the diverse wildlife that is colonising them.

Thursday 31st October » "Eastern Valleys Living Landscape - Putting It All Together"

6pm - 8pm @ ERC (or nearby venue)

£3 for members; £5 for non-members (includes refreshments and a light buffet).
Booking essential.

Join us for an interesting talk about the outline of GWTs plans to develop a Living Landscape scheme for the Eastern Valleys region. Following on from the work of the People and Wildlife Project piloted in Blaenau Gwent, GWT has been developing a larger scale project spread over a wider geographical area.

Thursday 7th & 14th November » "Autumn Lectures - Uplands & Post-industrial Landscapes & Wildlife"

6pm - 8pm @ ERC (or nearby venue)

£5 for members; £8 for non-members per lecture (includes refreshments and a light buffet).
Booking essential.

A series of talks led by local naturalists that highlight the unique nature of upland landscapes, including post-industrial habitats and the diverse wildlife that is colonising them.

LOCATIONS

Environmental Resource Centre » Steelworks Road, Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent. NP23 6AB

Silent Valley Nature Reserve » Cendl Terrace, Cwm (nr. Ebbw Vale). NP23 7RX. *Follow brown Nature Reserve signs - Reserve entrance and car park is at the top of Cendl Terrace.

PLEASE NOTE

*Spaces on events are limited so please book early!

**Some events may be subject to date/venue change - please ask when booking.

If you would like to book or want more information on any of the above events, please don't hesitate to contact us!

Gwent Wildlife Trust, Seddon House: 01600 740600

Environmental Resource Centre: 01495 307525