Norfolk Festival of Nature
Through the Norfolk Festival for Nature we seek to empower our audiences to explore the creative impact of nature, its cultural importance and central place in their lives.
Now in its fourth year, Norfolk Festival of Nature celebrates the cultural relationships that exist between people and the natural world. The weekend of 12/13/14 April 2019 sees us celebrating all things nature at the Forum in Norwich. The Norfolk Festival of Nature partnership brings many of the top Norfolk wildlife organisations together in the heart of the city, providing free children’s activities and talks from experts from around the county on our nature: past, present and future.
Partners
The Norfolk Festival of Nature is a partnership that brings together many organisations who are interested in wildlife and nature, including Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the British Trust for Ornithology, Norfolk Museums Service, the University of East Anglia, Wild Days Conservation, the Ted Ellis Trust, UEA and others.
Events
The Weekend – General activities
Norfolk Festival of Nature 12th to 14th April 2019
The Forum in Norwich will be hosting a weekend of all things nature on 12th to 14th April 2019. The Norfolk Festival of Nature partnership brings many of the top Norfolk wildlife organisations together in the heart of the city, with the launch of a Nature Writing Book Club, a Saturday of nature walks starting at The Forum, and a Sunday of free children’s activities in The Forum atrium – as well as Jess French from CBBCs joining the Sunday fun. We also have Issy Tree in conversation with Patrick Barkham on the Saturday evening at our Festival Debate, talking about her new book ‘Wilding’ about the rewilding of her Sussex estate. They will then be joined by a panel of experts to debate the festival theme of ‘The Future of Nature’. Tickets for the book group, walks, festival debate and Jess French are available on Eventbrite at the links given below.
Norfolk Festival of Nature Book Club
Passionate about nature and contemporary literature? Then join us at the Norfolk Festival of Nature to read and discuss the most fresh and exciting new nature writing. At times urgent and polemical, at times personal and searching, at times playful and unconventional, nature writing is enjoying an extraordinary richness and popularity at the moment. The Book Club offers a friendly and open forum for discussion, focussed through a range of books that make us think in new ways about nature and our place in the world. All welcome.
Or contact Jos Smith if you would like to join the Book Club mailing list:
First Meeting
Friday 12th April, 7.45pm to 9pm, location: The Gallery in The Forum – Book your free ticket here via Eventbrite
Fun in the Forum for all of the family
The Norfolk Festival of Nature partnership brings many of the top Norfolk wildlife organisations together in the heart of the city, providing a day of free children’s activities in the Forum in the centre of Norwich. As part of the day, we have a bookable event with Jess French from CBeebies at 11am. There will be pond dipping, a live camera feed from the peregrines at Norwich Cathedral and you can get involved in planting seeds, or making your own bird feeder, plus there’s a city centre tree trail to follow – so come and immerse yourself in all things wild. Fun for all the family.
Events and discussions – Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th April
Saturday Events – 10am – 4pm
The Forum will the starting point for a selection of walks that will take you into the nature of the city. Everything from photography to peregrines, the river and the trees, come and join one of our bookable walks around the city.
Venue: The Forum
Cost: Free – but booking required as places on walks are limited.
AGE: All ages
Read more and book tickets
The Festival Debate: The Future of Nature. Kindly sponsored by Water Resources East.
Saturday Night 6pm til 9.15pm On Saturday 13th April come and join us at the Forum for an evening debate with some of the clearest voices on environmental issues today, to discuss the Future of Nature in the UK and beyond. Isabella Tree, an award-winning travel...
read more
The nature of the river
14.00 – 15.30 The Nature of the River with Simon Hooton from the Broads Authority. Starting at The Forum this walk will go down to the river at Blackfriars Bridge/St George’s Street looking at how the river supports nature on our doorstep through wildlife tales and...
read more
Nature writing workshop
13.30 – 16.00 Writing Workshop with UEA lecturer Jos Smith: Writing about Urban Nature: “Writing well about a place often comes from looking at a place in fresh and interesting ways. This might mean going against the flow, looking up when everyone is looking down,...
read more
Watch the cathedral Peregrines
12.00 and 15:00 The Cathedral Peregrines – with Zoe Smith from the Hawk and Owl Trust (1 hour event) A gentle stroll down to the Catherdral will take this walk group to the Hawk and Owl Trust’s lookout spot in The Close. Here, volunteers from the Trust will be waiting...
read more
Take a tree walk with our expert
Join our expert from the Woodland Trust, John Fleetwood, to enjoy a 1 hour walking tree trail around a few of the notable trees of the centre of Norwich. Starting at The Forum, John will guide the group through the garden of St Peter Mancroft, around the Market and...
read moreSunday events – 10am – 4pm
The Norfolk Festival of Nature partnership brings many of the top Norfolk wildlife organisations together in the heart of the city, providing a day of free children’s activities in the Forum in the centre of Norwich. As part of the day, we have a bookable event with Jess French from CBeebies at 11am. There will be pond dipping, a live camera feed from the peregrines at Norwich Cathedral and you can get involved in planting seeds, or making your own bird feeder, plus there’s a city centre tree trail to follow – so come and immerse yourself in all things wild. Fun for all the family.
Venue: The Forum’s Explorium
Cost: Free, drop-in
AGE: All ages
Read more and book tickets
Minibeast Adventure with Jess French (CBeebies)
11.00 – 11.45 Jess French (in association with Norfolk Wildlife Trust) Join Jess French, vet, zoologist, conservationist and presenter of ‘Minibeast Adventure with Jess’ on CBeebies on a mission to SAVE THE PLANET. Did you know we buy around 20 000 plastic bottles...
read moreFollow us on Twitter
If you are in Norwich city centre today, pop on down to @TheForumNorwich for plenty of family friendly fun with some of Norfolks top conservation charities, it is going to be a fantastic day! 😀😀👪👩👩👧👦👨👨👧👦
4The Norfolk Festival of Natures 2nd day is here and there is plenty going on with @SupportNWT @BroadsNP @Hawkandowluk @RSPBintheEast @Holkham in attendance along with many others. Pop on down to the Forum before 4pm!👨👨👧👦😀😀
4
Great night sponsoring the Norfolk Festival of Nature debate in Norwich. Our chairman @HGCator in conversation with @isabella_tree & @patrick_barkham on how we can & must be kind to nature for a sustainable future. Inspiring. @NFOfNature #futureofag #futureofwater
4The Norfolk Festival of Nature continues tomorrow morning from 10am with plenty of kid friendly activities from the stall holders listed below. It will be a fantastic day and we cannot wait to see you at the Forum. 👨👨👧👦❤️😀🐰🐝🐞
It has been a great day today here at the Forum, lots of happy people coming back from some great walks lead by the Hawk and Owl Trust and the Woodland Trust. Tonight we will be hosting our much anticipated Nature Debate. If you have tickets, we cannot wait to see you. 😀😀
