As part of the Wildlife Trusts’ annual 30 Days Wild UK nature challenge each June, the regional wildlife charity is joining forces will the other 45 Wildlife Trusts across the country to host a number of great events with the aim of bringing people closer to the nature and to improve their health and wellbeing.

To celebrate the month‑long campaign, Northumberland Wildlife Trust will be holding its popular Big Wild Saturday event at Northumberlandia on Saturday 20 June.

Running from 10:00am to 4:00pm, the event will feature outdoor yoga, mindfulness in nature, an introduction to foraging, medicinal herb walks, forest bathing, nature‑crafting sessions, and an outdoor sound‑bath experience - all under the watchful eye of Northumberlandia herself!

A little less strenuous is a Medicinal Herb Walk and talk around the grounds of the Cramlington site with professional herbalist Davina Hopkinson to learn more about the benefits of various kinds of plants that have been used for centuries to help heal.

For anybody feeling stressed with daily life, mindfulness professional Michael Atkinson, will be on hand to gently guide people through a Mindfulness in Nature session, designed to calm the mind, soothe the body, and leave an individual feeling relaxed and refreshed. 

In addition, an Outdoor Sound Bath session is being hosted by professional sound bath therapist Alison Scanlan who will lead people through a therapeutic sound bath experience using a range of instruments, her voice, and periods of silence to induce a state of calm in the mind and body.

And for people who are tired of staring at supermarket shelves, Gemma Gee, aka the Cramlington Forager, will be talking about Foraging and guiding people around the site, pointing out edible plants along the way and explaining how the hedgerow is nature's larder that has been used to supplement our diet for centuries.

The Trust’s Community and Nature team will be hosting a Forest Bathing and Nature Crafting session during which they will lead groups through the Northumberlandia woodland to find out more about the benefits of 'green' spaces, as well as creating their very own mindful nature inspired piece of artwork.

To find out which event are bookable and which events are a ‘drop-in’ visit www.nwt.org.uk/events 

Frances Smiles, Community Events Co‑ordinator at Northumberland Wildlife Trust, says:

“Whether you live in a busy city centre or in the countryside, wildlife can be found everywhere if you spend just a moment looking for it.

“Connecting to the natural world is the first step to caring for it and playing a part in protecting it. It starts with the simple things - listening to morning birdsong, hearing hedgerows humming with life, or even just pausing to watch clouds drift across the sky. This June, join the national 30 Days Wild family and have some fun.”