Families across region re-connect with nature
March 11, 2021
Bird-spotting in your garden, hunting for lichens, identifying trees, and learning birdsongs have been among the activities enjoyed by hundreds of families over the past year as they connected with our beautiful natural world.
Since the start of the pandemic, the National Park Authority has been running an innovative scheme where families can pick up an award for completing 25 hours of nature-based activities.
Spearheaded by the National Park Authority’s Families Outreach Officer, Siân Jones, families across Hampshire and Sussex have enjoyed rediscovering the wonders of nature on their doorstep. Over the past 8 months, 36 families have achieved the award and over 320 families have used the initiative as inspiration for one-off nature-based activities.
Siân produced a series of newsletters and things-to-do sheets, full to the brim with activities that families could do at little cost in their local area and in line with Covid restrictions. Families were also encouraged to write in and share stories and pictures of the activities they had done.
Following a successful summer programme, the latest initiative was the “Wild Winter Awards”, which started in the autumn. Among the award recipients was 13-year-old Mia Haimes, who completed the programme with the help of her mum Gemma.
Mia, from Middleton-on-Sea, in West Sussex, said: “I enjoyed all of the activities for John Muir Award – it was fun to take photos and create some art of different things to do with nature and show my friends and family. I also put together a nature dance with my friend on a walk we went on.
“It made it a bit different going outside in the autumn and winter time and would also be fun to do it again in the summer.”
Mia produced a short video about her experience and shared it with family and friends (watch video below).
Gemma added: “It’s been a really rewarding thing for us to do together and it’s made us look at nature with fresh eyes. I think it’s really important for young people to be able to get away from the screens and connect with nature and also understand what we need to do to care for it.”
The Seal family, from Waterlooville, Hampshire, have been especially busy over the past year, completing two awards in both the summer and winter.
Nigel and Samantha Seal and children Quinton, 13, Theandra, 11, and Theodore, 8, have clocked up well over 100 hours of nature-based activities, including creating a wildlife-friendly garden, fungi hunting, night-time wildlife watching, bat surveying, pond-dipping, woodland crafts, stargazing and attending online wildlife and ecological lectures.
Samantha said: “The children have all loved it! We’ve found some wonderful nature spots near where we live in places like Clanfield and Leigh Park and we particularly enjoyed doing the bat surveys.
“It’s also just been lovely going on country walks and feeling more connected with the landscape and all the little things going on around you. It’s not just walking on paths and you begin to notice all the wildlife. We’re so lucky to have the National Park and all its flora and fauna on our doorstep.”
All the recipients will receive a certificate for their accomplishment.
Siân said: “A big well done to all the families who took part!
“We know it’s been a difficult year for so many families but this initiative has really demonstrated that you don’t need loads of resources to connect with and appreciate nature on your doorstep.
“As we move into the recovery phase of Covid over the coming months and years, we’ll be looking to do more physical engagement and encouraging families from underrepresented communities, including in cities like Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton, to have access to nature. It’s a really exciting and important direction for National Parks. Aside from the obvious benefits for people’s mental health and well-being, we want to help foster new generations who will care for our natural environment. I think the crux of it is that we’re very much part of nature – nature isn’t separate to us – and we can all play our part in looking after the natural world around us.”
For more information about completing an award with the National Park please visit www.southdowns.gov.uk/john-muir-award-in-the-south-downs-national-park/
The Families Outreach Project is kindly funded through grants from the South Downs National Park Trust, the official independent charity for the National Park.