Ruth Piddington with a Y-shaped tree
A series of free mindful walks is launching at a beautiful nature spot in the heart of Lichfield this month.
Lichfield District Council is trialling new monthly ‘Wonder Wanders’ at Beacon Park. They will offer participants the chance to take a slow amble around the park, and use their senses to focus on some fascinating part of nature that might be missed in the day-to-day rush.
The Wonder Wanders will take place on the third Friday of the month from 1pm to 2pm, weather permitting.
Each month the walk will have a different theme. The first Wonder Wanders is on Friday 19 January and is called ‘Letters in Nature’.
Ruth Piddington, Community & Education Officer, said: “I am really looking forward to leading these wanders around the park, as it will be a good chance to slow down and to explore the amazing natural world within.
“In our first wander, we’ll start from the Ranger Station, and will be looking closely to see if we can spot any letters of the alphabet made by nature. For instance, we may see the letter ‘n’ where a tiny caterpillar may have tunnelled and eaten its way around the inside of a leaf. We could even photograph some of these letters to see if we can spell out a word or a name.”
The walks are aimed at adults, but all are welcome. They are free and don’t need to be booked – just turn up!
Upcoming Wonder Wanders
19 January – Letters in Nature – start from Ranger Station and look closely to see if we can see any letters of the alphabet made by nature, for example a tiny caterpillar might eat the letter ‘n’ in the middle of a leaf. You could bring your camera and see if you can photograph your name.
23 February – Signs of Spring Search – start from the skatepark and look for buds on trees and early flowers such as snowdrops, daffodils, violets and lesser celandine.
23 March – Eyes on Trees – start from tennis courts and look for the trees that are looking at us!