Hassall Green Nature Reserve Open Day

Last month, Green Angels hosted the annual Hassall Green Nature Reserve Open Day in Sandbach. Over 230 visitors joined the Land Trust and Green Angels to explore the reserve and get involved with some free nature-based activities.

This popular event offers a fun and engaging opportunity for the local community to learn more about and get involved with nature at Hassall Green. Green Angels, the Land Trust’s free environmental training programme, was joined by over ten local craftspeople and experts, including TCV, South East Cheshire Ornithological Society (SECOS) and lots more. Many of the training providers have worked with Green Angels over the past six years, such as Rachel Barker, who offers activities like woodland meditation, yoga and nature-based mindfulness, and Steve Tomlin Crafts, who delivers woodworking and scything courses.

There were lots of activities on offer for families and visitors to get involved with, including a family drumming circle, bushcraft skills, wild cooking and dry-stone walling. This was followed by an evening bat walk which welcomed 27 individuals to the reserve, who got the chance to use some brand new bat detecting equipment.

The day would not have been possible without the help of over 20 dedicated volunteers who offered their time and skills to help make the open day a fantastic event. Volunteers included many individuals who have engaged with the Green Angels projects onsite and developed a deep appreciation for the reserve. Some trainees even used the skills they had learnt on a Green Angels course on the day.

Rebecca Mooney, Green Angels Project Officer at the Land Trust said: “The day was filled with smiles and laughter. To see families all out together enjoying the last of the summer sun was a wonderful experience, and it was beautiful that we could offer a space for the community to come together to enjoy their Saturday. We are so incredibly grateful for the dedication shown by the volunteers.”

There continues to be a hive of activity at the reserve through the Green Angels project, with tai chi, wild yoga, drumming circles, monthly volunteering, wildlife identification, and a beginners dry stone walling course all taking place in 2024.

To find out more about Green Angels project click here – Register – Green Angels (thelandtrust.org.uk), or email greenangels@thelandtrust.org.uk.