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.

On Saturday 14^th June, at Northumberlandia on Blagdon Lane between 10am and 2pm, there will be the opportunity to try outdoor yoga with British Wheel of Yoga teacher Sandra Corlett who will guide members of the public through a series of postures & breathing techniques to calm the mind and heal the body.

A little less strenuous is a Medicinal Herbs Walk and talk around the grounds of the Cramlington site with professional herbalist Davina Hopkinson to learn about the uses of various hedgerow plants that have been used as healing remedies for centuries.

For anybody feeling stressed with daily life, mindfulness professional Michael Atkinson, will be on hand to gently guide people through an Introduction to Mindfulness 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 professionally trained sound 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 Wild City 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.

Further up the coast at the wildlife charity’s Hauxley nature reserve at Druridge Bay, the team will be celebrating on both the Saturday (14^th) and the Sunday (15^th) at its Big Wild Weekend event.

Between 10am and 4pm, on both days, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the animals, birds and plants that call the Druridge Bay reserve home via a series of family friendly nature activities, talks and walks.

A Bioblitz is being held between 10am and 4pm on the Saturday, with the aim of recording as many wildlife sighting as possible in just six hours. No equipment or experience is needed as staff will be on hand with ID guides.

Running alongside the bioblitz is a Bug Hunt between 10:30am and 11:15am with visitors being offered the change to become explorers to find the best habitats for bugs on the Hauxley reserve. 

The bug hunt is swiftly followed by a Butterfly Walk between 11:30am and 12:15pm which will teach the key identification and recording techniques, to contribute to butterfly monitoring once visitors are back home.

After a cup of tea in the Wildlife Discovery Centre’s Lookout Café, there will be the opportunity to go Wildlife Camera Checking around the reserve, from 1:00pm onwards, to discover what has been captured on the reserve’s wildlife cameras overnight.

The first day will end with a Bat Walk around the Hauxley reserve. Running from 9:30pm - 11:00pm - a rare opportunity to be on the reserve after 5:00pm when the gates normally close. Using bat detectors, visitors will be able to discover the varied species that live at Hauxley as well as keeping their eyes and ears peeled for other creatures of the night.

If that isn’t enough, on the Sunday (15^th), between 10am and 11am, the Hauxley Bird Count Volunteers will be hosting one of their popular Guide in the Hide sessions and entertaining visitors with their years of experience surveying birds on the reserve. Binoculars will be provided. 

Anybody curious about the hidden world between their feet should join the North East Fungus Study Group between 3:00pm and 4:00pm on a journey into the mysterious and magical realm of the fungal life of the North East. This engaging foray is the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful, and essential fungi that thrive in the region’s local landscapes.

The weekend of evets at Hauxley is funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the North East Combined Authority Investment Fund with the North East Combined Authority as the lead authority.

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