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Lapwing © David Patrick

Festival Bowland Embraces Summer

20th June 2024

The Festival Bowland summer programme is looking blooming marvellous!

Whether you want to soak up the blaze of colour in a Bowland wildflower meadow, have a late night looking for meteors, or spend a relaxing afternoon creating your very own pottery piece, you'll find lots of ways to discover Bowland this summer. Here are a few highlights.....

Bumblebee on purple wildflowerNational Meadows Day

Sunday, 7 July, 13:00 – 16:00, Hermitage Field Community Meadow, Crook o' Lune, Lancaster, LA2 9HU, UK 

Celebrate National Meadows Day in Bowland with an afternoon in these wildflower havens at the  Crook o' Lune.  

More information about the Hermitage Field Community Meadow is available here: https://hermitagefieldcommunitymeadow.com

Free.

No booking needed, but if you can comment on Facebook if you're thinking of going along, that would be really helpful!

Summer Berry Bowl Pottery Workshop

Sunday, 7 July, 13:00 – 16:00, Slaidburn 

Let Bowland Pottery help you fashion a stoneware clay berry bowl that's unique to you!

£50.

Booking needed. Please see https://www.numonday.com/product/hand-build-your-own-berry-bowl-pottery-workshop for details.

Scorton Challenge Tramper Trek

Thursday, 18 July, 10:30 – 15:00, Scorton

Join Wyre Coast & Countryside Service's Tramper trek, where they attempt to go where you never dreamed possible – over Nicky Nook Fell! (Weather permitting). Walkers welcome too.

£5.

Booking needed. Please contact: greatoutdoors@wyre.gov.uk or 01253 887502.

Mixed group enjoying a Tramper trek in autumn in Bowland.All-Terrain Wheelchair Taster Day

Sat, 20 July, 10:00 – 15:30, Sabden

Come and try out a Tramper with us and enjoy the landscape around Churn Clough Reservoir near Sabden!

Free.

Booking needed. Please email sandra.silk@lancashire.gov.uk or phone 07973 923142.

Perseid Meteor Shower

Monday, 12 August, 21:00 – 23:59, Dunsop Bridge

Join members of Preston & District Astronomical Society on this late-night event, as they guide us through the fascinating world of meteors.

Free.

Booking needed. Please email sandra.silk@lancashire.gov.uk or phone 07973 923142.

Wyre Rivers Trust Amble

Wednesday, 14 August, 10:30 – 12:30, Caterall

A gentle amble around tracks and fields around Catterall.

Free.

Booking needed: For further information, and to book, please contact charlie@wyreriverstrust.org

Ammonite fossil against a dry stone wall.A Walk Through Time

Wed, 21 August, 10:00 – 12:00, Trough of Bowland

Join us in the Trough of Bowland for a closer look at the geology which underpins this well loved part of the National Landscape.

Free.

Booking needed. Please email sandra.silk@lancashire.gov.uk or phone 07973 923142.

Wyre Rivers Trust - Brock Valley Bat Walk

Friday, 23 August, 20:00 – 21:30, Claughton on Brock 

Explore the night-time world of these enigmatic creatures as they take flight and forage in the woodlands around the River Brock.

Free.

Booking needed: For further information, and to book, please contact charlie@wyreriverstrust.org

Full details of all these events, and more, are available at Festival Bowland Events | Forest of Bowland National Landscape

(Under 18s need to be accompanied by an adult to all Festival Bowland events and not all events are suitable for children. Please check with the organiser.)

Become a Bowland BeeWalker This Summer!

22nd May 2024

Immerse yourself in the world of bumblebees on this free Forest of Bowland National Landscape/Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust Hay Time workshop.

Friday 31st May, 10am – 1pm, Gisburn Forest

Bumble Bee

Learn how to identify Bowland's more common bumblebee species in the lovely surroundings of the meadow at Gisburn Forest - and find out all about our BeeWalk volunteer opportunities.

The morning will begin with a short indoor presentation on the ecology of bumblebees, and some key identifying features of our more common species. We'll then head outside to see what bumblebees we can find in the meadow and surrounding area.

There will be information on our "BeeWalk" programme and how you could put your new skills into practice by joining our volunteer project and surveying on one of our pre-set transects. Sites are located throughout the Forest of Bowland and across the Yorkshire Dales, so a great excuse for some days out!

After the session, feel free to buy a tasty lunch in the café, or stay on  and enjoy the wider forest landscape.

Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.

Free but booking is essential. For more information and to book a place, please email sandra.silk@lancashire.gov.uk or phone 07973 923142.

Pasture for Life invites farmers to join the second year of our Farming in Protected Landscapes Funded Programme in the North of England

21st May 2024

With a second year of Farming in Protected Landscapes funding secured, Pasture for Life welcomes farmers in the Protected Landscapes of the Lake District, Forest of Bowland, Nidderdale, North Pennines and Yorkshire Dales to sign up for free to the Pasture & Profit in Protected Landscapes Programme.

Pasture for Life event

After an enjoyable and informative first year, Pasture for Life are delighted to be able to continue to develop this programme, supporting farmers for free and building on the community that this programme has evolved into.

If you enjoy spending time on thought provoking farms and learning from other farmers, they welcome you to join by signing up to the programme, which includes free Pasture for Life membership too. At the heart of the programme are the events with wood pasture, soil health, dung beetles, herbal leys, butchery and marketing just some of the topics we intend to explore further in more detail. In addition to these events we have 2 study tours planned, a partnership with Innovative Farmers to establish a bracken field lab and a financial roadshow with Nethergill Associates calculating Maximum Sustainable Output on some of our farms.

As part of the programme they also have a group of farmers who are supporting other farmers by being their mentor. If you particularly want to explore new areas and need someone to bounce ideas off and discuss your plans with, having a mentor could really be of benefit for you. Pasture for Life event

To hear more about the programme from three of Pasture for Life's farmers Watch this video.

Please do get in touch, the Pasture for Life team would love to hear from you.  You can reach us by emailing Rob, Amy or Jane on rob@pastureforlife.org, amy@pastureforlife.org or jane@pastureforlife.org or feel free to call Rob on 07967 379131 to chat it through.

Signing up is easy. Pasture for Life will provide you with a link to complete a short document and if having a mentor is something you are considering, the next steps for that are really easy too!

Pasture for Life event

Charcoal Making & Sketching

1st May 2024

Charcoal Making & Sketching Charcoal Making & Sketching event photo

Saturday 18th May, 10am – 12.30pm, Gisburn Forest

Join artist, Keith Parkinson, and Outdoors 4 All Together CIC for a morning of outdoor creativity in the lovely surroundings of Gisburn Forest.

Have fun round the fire pit learning how to make your very own charcoal, then enjoy a relaxed, tutored sketching session, before taking your newly made drawing materials away to use at home.

A lovely way to spend a spring morning ! All materials provided.

Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.

£5 per person. 

Booking essential. For more information and to book a place please email sandra.silk@lancashire.gov.uk or phone 07973923142.

Access for All Celebration Event

24th April 2024

Terrain Hopper at Wood End FarmThe Forest of Bowland National Landscape and Access the Dales are delighted to be hosting a two-day celebration of inclusivity in the countryside.  Access for All: A Celebration of What's Possible, will be held on the 25th and 26th of June at Gisburn Forest – a Forestry England site in the Forest of Bowland.

This exciting free event is aimed at organisations, businesses and individuals delivering Access for All opportunities, who would like to share best practice and engage in inclusive activities in an outdoor setting.

The first day will include a series of workshop sessions led by subject specialists, delivered in the beautiful woodland setting at Gisburn Forest.  

Access for All route at Gisburn Forest

Topics and discussion will focus on - autism, dementia, mental health and inclusivity in the outdoors as well as tourism and accessibility and an introductory session to British Sign Language.

Evening festivities will include casual conversations, music and a campfire and a guided evening bat walk will be available for those interested in exploring the forest after dark.

On the second day, we will be extending opportunities for the public (via invitation), and experiencing a range of inclusive, outdoor activities.  These will include: forest bathing, bushcraft, story time movement, a navigation workshop, nature connection with sound, an alpaca experience and a foraging & wellbeing wander.

A variety of all-terrain wheelchair providers will be attending and will be bringing a wide range of vehicles for delegates to try. These include: TGA, TerrainHopper, Tramper, Mountain Trike and Paratreker. 

We are thrilled to provide a platform for meaningful connections and shared experiences in a welcoming and inclusive environment and we invite any relevant organisations to find out more and secure a free place at: www.forestofbowland.com/access-all-event

Sarah Dornan, Countyside Access Officer for the Forest of Bowland National Landscape said:

“It’s about providing opportunities for as many people as possible in the outdoors, and events like this provide a wonderful opportunity for organisations and businesses to come together and share experiences and best practice.  We are delighted to showcase what is on offer in Bowland and that we can offer this event to people for free, which is being made possible via DEFRA Accessibility Funding'.  

In the last 6 months, the Forest of Bowland National Landscape has partnered with Access the Dales to explore making the inaccessible accessible and to break down the barriers that prevent people living with disabilities enjoying the great outdoors, either independently or with their friends and family. There are several hub locations in the National Landscape where all-terrain wheelchairs are free to hire and can be used along designated trails – including Dunsop Bridge,  Whitewell,  Gisburn Forest Hub and Sabden.  For further information visit: www.forestofbowland.com/access-bowland

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