At last year’s carnival
This is the third year we have run Wild About Whitstable Nature Week. Our aim is for all of us to celebrate the richness and diversity of our natural world and to draw attention to the urgent threats of climate change and the depletion of Nature.
Our week-long programme will feature nature events - walks and talks to discover bats, butterflies, seals, birds, seaweed, and local plants. These will be led by local experts and enthusiasts. There will also be nature-themed workshops (for children and adults) and talks and activities at venues across the town - the Horsebridge, Museum, Library, the Castle, The Umbrella Centre and Stream Walk. The week culminates with the day long Eco Fair at St John’s, Argyle Rd.
We are funded this year mostly by you, local people, through crowdfunding and have received a generous donation from Kent Community Energy, a Community Benefit Society dedicated to the development of renewable energy projects throughout Kent. https://kentcommunityenergy.org/
Walks and access
Please be aware that our weather can change, and does even in August, so come prepared for walks with sensible shoes, sun-block and appropriate clothing. Insect repellant is advised for evening outdoor activities.
Access statement
We aim to provide the widest possible access to our events, talks and walks. Wild about Whitstable team members can provide assistance including information on access to our events.
We are reviewing all events to ensure they are as accessible as possible.
Accessible toilets, seats and rest areas throughout the town, are marked on the town map (copies available soon from the Museum, Horsebridge Centre and Library). We have agreements with Wetherspoons and the Horsebridge Centre who will allow those with Wild About Whitstable cards to use their accessible toilets.
Payment by donation
Wild About Whitstable aims to be accessible to all. Workshops and activities are free of charge apart from our Swale Wildlife voyage aboard the Greta on Tuesday morning. Donations are gratefully received either in cash at the event or on line using this link
Below you’ll find an overview timetable of events during the week followed by more detail and booking info (not all yet available).
WILD ABOUT WHITSTABLE - AUGUST 12TH TO 18TH
Detail and booking information
Whitstable Museum
Whitstable Museum will be open with an exhibition Wood in Whitstable all week to complement WAW. The Museum will create a compact exhibition on the theme of wood. Figureheads, ships, houses, wood-working tools, whelk boat Floreat, items made of wood will be on show or illustrated. Children can explore the Museum to find the many uses of wood. During Wild About Whitstable week, the Museum will be open from 10.30 to 16.30, Monday to Saturday.
Bruce Williams Gallery, 66 High St - Tuesday 13th to Monday 19th
For the first time in 2024 we are delighted to be showcasing local nature themed art in collaboration with the high street gallery of renowned artist Bruce Williams. Our Wild about Whitstable Nature Art Exhibition will take place from Tuesday of WAW week to the following Monday (11am to 5pm). Local artists have been invited to exhibit their work at the gallery on the theme of the natural world. Please visit the gallery to view their work which is for sale. You are also welcome to attend the private view from 5pm to 7pm on Tuesday August 13th.
Monday 12th August
Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Cllr Jean Butcher will open Wild About Whitstable in the Umbrella Centre garden at 10am.
10.00 - noon
Bee Bomb making in the Umbrella Centre garden
Come and join us to make your own beebombs to scatter wild plant seeds and attract bees and other wildlife to your garden or other green space. We hand make our bee balls from clay and a variety of seeds. It’s a lot of messy fun.
Suitable for all ages but children must be accompanied by an adult. No need to book. Free but donations gratefully received.
Monday afternoon
11.00-13.00
Seashore Life Walk - Everything you want to know about seashore life at Whitstable. With Ian Tittley, Seaside Museum, Herne Bay and Natural History Museum.
The seashore at Whitstable is rich in fascinating species of marine plants and animals. The walk and talk will explore these and consider their importance and uses, and the role they play in the inshore ecosystem. We will consider the effects of climate change on seashore life, and the impact of non-native species now commonly present.
Meet on the beach outside the Hotel Continental, Whitstable.
This and all WAW walks are free of charge but donations are gratefully received. Numbers are limited so please book by emailing Ct5.eco@outlook.com stating the event’s name and time and giving the names of participants.
Bladderwrack Fucus vesiculosus
Monday afternoon
13.00-14.00 and 15.00-16.00
Workshops - Driftwood modelling, ages 6 - 11 years at 13.00 to 14.00.
Driftwood crafting, ages 12 - 16 years at 15.00 to 16.30
At the Horsebridge Centre. Free of charge, donations gratefully accepted. To book go to - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/thehorsebridge/t-zzqxapl (6 - 11) https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/thehorsebridge/t-krxqvak (12 - 16)
14.00-16.00
Workshop - Seaweed surprises - look and press with Ian Tittley, Seaside Museum and Natural History Museum.
Learn about our local seaweeds and how to press and preserve these flowers of the sea. Drop in.
Whitstable Museum
(Chondrus crispus)
19.00
Talk – Conserving and Connecting Along the Thames - Wildlife, Habitats and Restoration in the Thames Estuary.
Thea Cox, Zoological Society of London
At the Horsebridge Centre. Free of charge, donations gratefully accepted. To book go to - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/thehorsebridge/t-avmdrde
Seagrass at Seasalter with Whitstable in the background
Tuesday 13th August
08.30-13.00
Seals and other Wildlife around The Swale on board the Sailing Barge Greta departing Whitstable Harbour at 8.30 am
Join the skipper, Steve Norris, and crew on the Thames Sailing Barge, Greta, and find out about sea life in the Swale with marine mammal surveyor, Stephen Hedley and ornithologist Andy Taylor.
Leaving Whitstable harbour at 08.30, returning around 13.00.
Teas and coffee provided, please bring a packed lunch.
STOP PRESS. THE VOYAGE AROUND THE SWALE ON BOARD THE GRETA IS NOW FULLY BOOKED. WE ARE EXPLORING WAYS IN WHICH WE COULD REPEAT THIS AMAZING TRIP LATER IN THE YEAR. APOLOGIES TO THE MANY PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE LIKED TO TAKE PART. PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT THE MANY OTHER WAYS YOU CAN BE PART OF #wildaboutwhitstable WEEK 2024.
Booking essential - £54 per person by emailing Ct5.eco@outlook.com
SB Greta In Whitstable Bay
Sandwich tern seen from SB Greta © Andy Taylor
10.00
BioBlitz at Stream Walk Community Garden
Join members of the Kent Field Club, Butterfly Conservation and Stream Walk community garden staff and volunteers for a morning’s BioBlitz – an event to record as many native plants, insects, and other animals as possible during the morning.
Free, meet at Stream Walk community garden at 10.00.
10.00-12.00
Workshops - printing with natural materials
Family workshop for all ages.
At the Horsebridge Centre. Free of charge, donations gratefully accepted. To book go to - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/thehorsebridge/t-vvdplrm
10.30-12.30
Not Daffodils Again! Creating nature-inspired poetry (for adults) with Sally Turner and Tracey Colloff
Whatever your expectations and experiences of poetry we aim to enlighten and enthuse you and have an enjoyable time.
Numbers are limited so please book by emailing Ct5.eco@outlook.com stating the event’s name and time and giving the names of participants.
Whitstable Museum
Poem by Sally Turner
14.00-16.00
Walk - Gorrell Valley Nature Reserve /Duncan Down
Guided Walk with Ashley Clark the reserve’s Head Warden and Dr David Ponsonby the reserve’s Resident Naturalist
The Gorrell Valley Nature Reserve is Whitstable’s largest open space, with some 90 acres, that is managed by skilled local volunteers for habitat variety and biodiversity. We will outline the work undertaken to achieving that goal and introduce some of the many species that are present.
Numbers are limited so please book by emailing Ct5.eco@outlook.com stating the event’s name and time and giving the names of participants.
Meet at the flag pole at the Borstal Avenue entrance.
Oyster catcher © Ashley Clark
14.00-16.00
Making Birdboxes - with Katherine Pickering, Gardener
Workshop making some unusual. Birdboxes. Please bring a 2-litre lemonade or squash bottle. All other materials will be provided.
Museum.
19.00
Talk – Saving the Turtle Dove, with Nicole Khan, RSPB Turtle Dove Conservation Advisor
The population of turtle doves has crashed from 125,000 in 1970 to 3000 in 2021. Kent is the UK stronghold and Nicole works with farmers, landowners, volunteers and community groups to support Turtle Dove conservation.
At the Horsebridge Centre. Free of charge, donations gratefully accepted. To book go to - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/thehorsebridge/t-gamdnre
Turtle dove ©Jacques Turner-Moss
Wednesday 14th August
08.00-09.00
Walk: Going wild at Long Rock with Andy Taylor
Find out the amazing diversity of wildlife on Whitstable’s Doorstep.
Numbers are limited so please book by emailing Ct5.eco@outlook.com stating the event’s name and time and giving the names of participants.
Meet at the skate park.
© Andy Taylor
© Andy Taylor
10.00-12.00
Workshops - nature inspired weaving
Family workshop for all ages.
At the Horsebridge Centre. Free of charge, donations gratefully accepted. To book go to - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/thehorsebridge/t-lnrzyqr
13.30-16.30
Sand Fossils through a microscope with Adrian Rundle, Naturalist
Looking at micro fossils and shell sand samples. Drop in.
Museum.
14.30-1530
Walk: Tales of Flora: Folklore of Wild Plants.
A short, slow amble around the Castle grounds discussing some of the plants growing there.
Join Roy Vickery, who has been collecting and writing about the folklore of wild plants for over 40 years, to discover how our people viewed and used local wild plants.
Numbers are limited so please book by emailing Ct5.eco@outlook.com stating the event’s name and time and giving the names of participants.
Meet under the gazebo at the Castle.
19.00
Talk – Wildlife Gardening – Myths and Realities
Dr Steve Head, Founder Patron of the Wildlife Gardening Forum
Steve will explain the simple but amazing science of garden wildlife which will, give you some clear pointers to how you can make your home a haven for wildlife and add birdsong, colour and movement to your garden.
At the Horsebridge Centre. Free of charge, donations gratefully accepted. To book go to - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/thehorsebridge/t-dvmpyya
Thursday 15th August
10.00-12.00
Workshop - Jar Nature Globes
Family workshop for all ages.
At the Horsebridge Centre. Free of charge, donations gratefully accepted. To book go to - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/booking/t-avmdrrd
10.30-12.30
Inspired by Nature – A collage art workshop with Cathy McTurk
Two hours of creativity and fun with all materials provided. Come away with a work of art for yourself. (Age 14 and upwards)
Numbers are limited so please book by emailing Ct5.eco@outlook.com stating the event’s name and time and giving the names of participants.
Whitstable Library. Free but donations gratefully received.
11.00-12.30
Loving our trees : Guided Tree Walk in Whitstable town with David Carey
Come and look at the variety of trees in our town, what they need to survive, and what else would be good.
Numbers are limited so please book by emailing Ct5.eco@outlook.com stating the event’s name and time and giving the names of participants.
Meet outside Whitstable Museum.
14.00-16.00
Workshop - What’s in the Barn Owl’s Buffet?
A chance to dissect owl pellets and piece together who is eating whom…with Andy Taylor, ornithologist. Drop in.
Whitstable Museum
20.15
A walk on the Wild side – after sunset. Bat Walk and Moth Evening
Find out about Whitstable's nocturnal wildlife and join Kent Bat group members for a walk around Whitstable Castle gardens.
Led by Shirley Thompson, Kent Bat Group. Starting from the Castle,
Followed by a meeting with moths from 21.15 to 22.45 with Andy Taylor.
Donations please to Kent Bat Group and Whitstable Castle.
Meet at the main vehicular entrance to the Castle grounds on Tower Hill.
(20.15 for bat walk, 21.15 for moth evening). Approximately 200M up Tower Hill – double gates on the right-hand side.
This walk is always popular so please book via Ct5.eco@outlook.com giving the names of all attendees in your group.
STOP PRESS. THIS EVER POPULAR WALK IS NOW FULLY BOOKED. WE ARE EXPLORING WAYS IN WHICH WE COULD REPEAT IT LATER IN THE YEAR. APOLOGIES TO THE MANY PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE LIKED TO TAKE PART. PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT THE MANY OTHER WAYS YOU CAN BE PART OF #wildaboutwhitstable WEEK 2024.
To ensure your place, please arrive 5 minutes early – no admittance after 21.30 as gates will close.
(c) BCT
© Andy Taylor
Friday 16 August
10.00-12.00
Workshops - pre-school messy play inspired by the wild world around us.
For under fives and their families.
At the Horsebridge Centre. Free of charge, donations gratefully accepted. To book go to - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/thehorsebridge/t-pqvkppr
10.30-12.30
Coastal bird walk with Hayley Taylor, Birdwise North Kent
Join the Bird Wise North Kent team to learn more about the birds we see and hear along our amazing coastline. On this walk we will head along the sea wall at Seasalter towards the South Swale Nature Reserve, stopping to identify the birds we see and hear along the way and learn more about their fascinating lives. Places are limited so please ensure you book via - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wild-about-whitstable-guided-walk-with-bird-wise-north-kent-at-seasalter-tickets-943452841847?aff=oddtdtcreator
Meet outside the Seasalter Sailing Club, Faversham Road, Seasalter.
14.00-16.00
Walk - Wraik Hill Nature Reserve.
Join the Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership to learn about the wild flowers and other wildlife of this Canterbury City Council owned open space in late summer and enjoy amazing views across the Swale. Some steep slopes. Dogs on leads.
Numbers are limited so please book by emailing Ct5.eco@outlook.com stating the event’s name and time and giving the names of participants.
Meet at Wraik Hill Car Park (usually closed to the public) Wraik Hill. Please car share as parking spaces are limited. https://w3w.co/hatch.slant.parts
14.00-16.00
Plant Communication Workshop with Helene Williams, Art and Nature psychotherapist.
A workshop where you will learn techniques to open your perception around plants. There will be a series of short meditations, followed by connecting to an actual plant and then recording the experience with pastels onto black paper.
Numbers are limited so please book by emailing Ct5.eco@outlook.com stating the event’s name and time and giving the names of participants.
Museum.
19.00
Film: A sense of wonder - Captures Rachel Carson, the mother of the environmental movement and author of Silent Spring, in the final months of her life as she defends her book and battles with cancer.
The Horsebridge Centre. Free of charge, donations gratefully accepted. To book please go to - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/booking/t-dvmxaaa
Saturday 17th August
11.00-16.00
Eco-fair
St John’s Methodist Church, Argyle Rd, Ct5 1JS
Facilities: cafe with tea, coffee and home made cakes.
Accessible toilet.
The day long Eco Fair takes place this year at St John’s Methodist church in Argyle Rd, central Whitstable. The aim, as in the previous two years, is to provide both local and wider environmental organisations and individuals with the opportunity to promote the vital work they do and to discuss their concerns and activities with the local community and visitors to the town. Among our stall holders this year will be Plastic Free Whitstable, Wildwood, Friends of Duncan Down, Prospect Field, local museums and community organisations, local bee keepers and many other important organisations. There will also be interactive workshops, on nature related themes, for children and adults and retail outlets selling sustainable goods.
Sunday 18 August
11.00-12.30
Walk - the Lie of the Land. With David Roberts and Jon Shelton
A 1 mile guided walk - learn about Whitstable's past and changes in the landscape resulting from the intervention of people who lived and worked here.
Numbers are limited so please book by emailing Ct5.eco@outlook.com stating the event’s name and time and giving the names of participants.
Meet at Whitstable Library - walk ends at Prospect Field (just off Joy Lane)
Payment by donation
Wild About Whitstable aims to be accessible to all. Workshops and activities are free of charge apart from our Swale Wildlife voyage aboard the Greta on Tuesday morning. Donations are gratefully received either in cash at the event or on line using this link.
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