Crafts and Curiosities at Wells Carnival

Ellie Howell, Cley Marketing Intern

On Monday 1^st August Community Education Officer Rachael and I went to Wells Carnival for an afternoon of marine inspired creativity and learning. 

While the stalls were not due to open when we finished setting up, there were lots of children eager to explore and to create. 

With ties to the Wildlife Trusts’ Living Seas vision, we wanted to discover what in particular makes the seas valuable to the families that came along. We also wanted to get them thinking about what helps and what harms our marine environment. 

 

We spent the afternoon creating wildlife pictures with natural materials found on the beach. We decorated crabs, fish and starfish with sea lettuce, crab claws, horn-wrack and other things that wash up on the shore. The children also enjoyed making jellyfish from the plastic materials we’d scavenged on the beach. 

Grandmother Angie Richards who travelled from Romford to spend time with her grandchildren said the activities were ‘fab for teaching and educating children on sea life and the environment.’ Her grandchild Ruby said she’d like to make fifty more for her bedroom!

There was also a display of marine objects for inquisitive minds to discover with items such as belemnites over 900 million years old. It was also a chance for the families reacquaint themselves with objects of childhood memory – mermaid’s purses (or egg cases as they are more scientifically known), razor shells, whelk eggs, cuttlebones and horse mussels.

Discover more crafts and family activities taking place at NWT Cley Marshes

A Skylark's Song: concluding Cley Calling with the North Norfolk Sinfonia

Ellie Howell, Cley Marketing Intern

On Sunday evening, the North Norfolk Sinfonia played a wonderful array of classical music inspired by bird life to conclude Cley Calling at St Margaret’s Church. The evening marked the opening of Cley16, an exhibition of contemporary art organised by the North Norfolk Exhibition Project.
 
Living in Norfolk means we are inherently tied to its diverse landscape and to its countryside – it is a kind of special natural heritage that is passed to us by the landscape itself. The North Norfolk Sinfonia channelled this feeling throughout their performance. Bassoon player Ian said it was ‘a joy to perform for Norfolk Wildlife Trust’, having been a member for over twenty years He also said that Cley Calling has ‘brought the community together and showcased the work the NWT do at ground level.’
 
The last piece of music played by the Sinfonia was The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams, featuring the fantastic violin soloist Thomas Leate. Remarkably between movements a skylark could be heard.
 
It was a poignant end to a week of fantastic events which brought audiences new and old, members and non-members alike. It was a joy to host such a diverse group of people and events, especially since the weather was particularly pleasant throughout. Those who travelled from far and wide were particularly endeared to the Cley Marshes and many wanted to return in the future. Who can blame them?

Cley Calling: Rozi Plain

Ellie Howell, Cley Marketing Intern

It was a memorable evening last night at the NWT Cley Marshes Visitor Centre, where we were lucky enough to host the talented musicians Rozi Plain and Milly Hirst. The Simon Aspinall WildlifeEducation Centre, which is an unmissable part to any visit to NWT CleyMarshes, was transformed into a striking space for the first music event of Cley Calling. 

Milly Hirst with a view of the marshes in the background. During her set, Milly said that Cley has a very special place in her heart as she was married at Cley Windmill in the spring

Rozi’s merchandise

Rozi with her support Rachel Horwood, taken in front of our wildflower area

A beautiful sunset washed over the horizon as Rozi’s set concluded with a song aptly called ‘Marshes’.

After the music had finished, attendees moved from the Centre outside to the reserve and to the dimly sunlit landscape, reporting sights of barn owls, skylarks and marsh harriers.

Cley Calling: not long to go!

Ellie Howell, Cley Marketing Intern

There are only a couple of days to go until our nine-day programme of events, which will commence this Saturday with our ‘Mammoth’ opening weekend. Preparations for each event are underway, and throughout the trust we are getting excited for what Cley Calling has in store. Not only are we celebrating our 90th anniversary, we are also celebrating the local wildlife and landscapes of North Norfolk. There will be writers, bird watching, Darwinian theatre, talented musicians, good food, wildlife & history trails and more.

Head of People and Wildlife, David North says: ‘I am very excited by the sheer diversity of events and quality of speakers during Cley Calling. I am looking forward to the local community – as well as those coming from further afield – experiencing nature on the reserve, and the Simon Aspinall Wildlife Education Centre.’ 

 David is also greatly anticipating having the life size model of West Runton steppe mammoth at the NWT Cley Visitor Centre, which he says ‘will be particularly thrilling’. David is also coming to Ben Garrod’s events on Sunday – a round the table look at bones at 1.30pm, and a talk at 3pm – who is going to be illuminating the ancient history of the Norfolk coast. David says that his only regret is that he cannot make all of the events. 

Indeed, with such an array of events, there is something for everyone to enjoy during Cley Calling. We have some wonderful family activities planned, with interactive theatre and workshops such as ‘How to Feed a Dinosaur’ and ‘A Mammoth Adventure’ on Saturday 2 July, with a barbecue from 12-4. Other family activities include ‘Flying the Nest’ and Marine Madness with Watch on Saturday 9 July and ‘Leaping Frog’ on Sunday 10 July. 

We have sold out talks from BBC presenters Simon King of Big Cat Diaries and ‘Life’, as well as Nicholas Crane of ‘Coast’, which will be preceded by a talk on NWT’s 90th anniversary by naturalist, Nick Acheson. For any enthusiastic birders or lovers of nature writing, Mike Dilger of ‘The One Show’ will be with us to discuss his new book ‘Nightingales of November’ on Friday 8 July at 2.30pm. 

We have the talented Chris Wood playing a gig at 7.30pm against the backdrop of the beautiful Cley Marshes on 8 July. It promises to be a memorable evening. If folk isn’t your thing, we also have performances from Big Sky Choir on Saturday 9 July, and to conclude Cley Calling, the North Norfolk Sinfonia will be playing classical favourites inspired by birdlife on Sunday 10 July at 7pm.

 
Full event details can be found at www.cleycalling.com, and tickets are available online at www.wegottickets.com/cley, or over the phone on 01263 740008. We hope to see you there.

Event Review: David Lindo, the Urban Birder

Ellie Howell, Cley Marketing and Engagement Intern

Yesterday at the Forum for our Wild in the City event, naturalist broadcaster, writer and birder, David Lindo, spoke about his encounters with wildlife in urban habitats. David was poignantly introduced by senior education officer, Annabel Hill, who noted that we have become disconnected with nature, but also that we have an inherent need for nature in our lives. I was excited to see how David negotiated this dilemma through his passion for urban birding.

David Lindo, photo by Susana Sanroman

As David walked on stage, I noticed his friendly countenance, which the audience warmed to immediately. He even saw me at the back scribbling away, joking that someone was already taking notes on his talk.

He began by contesting the media’s presentation of nature, of countryside programs which are unlikely to excite younger audiences. He mentioned exotic shows in places far away that might not be accessible for urban residents, calling them the ‘jaws and claws’ programs. Of course, such media is very important for enthusing and informing people about nature. But what can be done and seen within our own cities, towns and back gardens?

David started to speak more about his experiences and feelings around birding. He’s had experience of birding in Norfolk, and Cley in particular. He mentioned how profound it was to wake up to the sound of oyster catchers, and the waves lashing upon the shore in the early morning. For David, birding isn’t only about lists and numbers, but also about having a real connection to nature – especially in unlikely places. What was very unlikely, and of course what makes David so interesting, is that his experience of birding started in North London. He told us about a book of birds he got out of his local library at the age of eight, which he read from cover to cover, and almost memorised. It reminded me of a worn book which sits upon my parent’s bookshelf about British birds that I often read when I was younger.
 

Robin, photo by Elizabeth Dack

David was responsible for the Britain’s National Bird campaign. At school, he created a poll so that he could discover the favourite bird of his class. It was the sparrow that won. Years later, in 2015 the poll was taken and it was the robin that won. He wanted to get people talking about birds, and I certainly think he succeeded.

The challenge, then, is not finding birds for people to talk about, but actually making people more aware of them. For David, it is having an open mind, and the attitude that anything can happen, anywhere. For example, in his travels to Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia, he saw in just one urban park 22 long eared owls, as well as kestrels and rooks. He and several tourists gained access to the top of a high-rise building, and sighted white tailed eagles and Caspian gulls. In Kolka, Latvia, in a marshland just behind his hotel, he spotted cranes, stalks, and chaffinches. He said it was ‘like a slideshow’ of many types of birds all flying around him.

He concluded the talk by speaking about his local birding area, which he referred to as his ‘patch’, his inner city Fair Isle. He said that Wormwood Scrubs was in great danger of encroachment, and stressed the importance of protecting your own patch. It reminded me of the importance of not only protecting our own Norfolk land, but getting excited about it too.

On my walk home that evening, instead of walking down St. Giles Street, I decided to stroll through Chapelfield Park. I was open to the possibility that I might see anything, and joyful at the realisation that I was not as distant from nature as I first thought. 

There are two more Wild in the City talks taking place:

Kate Blincoe on Green Parenting, featuring well-known local farmer (and Kate's father) Chris Skinner: Wednesday 1 June, 6.30pm

Nick Acheson on 90 years of Norfolk Wildlife Trust's history and achievements. Meeting bitterns, cranes, stone curlews, rare flowers and the people who have striven to save them. Thursday 2 June, 4.30pm