Welcome to MHA The Wilderness Newsletter – July 2021
We hope everyone is staying safe and well.
We have been very busy but there are a lot of exciting things coming up as we move into the summer! MHA The Wilderness team and our amazing volunteers have been working very hard to ensure the Wilderness garden has its place in the community.
We have important news to share with you. Read more below!
Wilderness Weekend Opening
Starting on Saturday 10th July from 10am – 4pm, the Wilderness garden is open to the public. Every Saturday throughout July, visitors are welcomed to visit the Wilderness garden by booking their FREE tickets here:
- Saturday 10th July https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wilderness-opening-saturday-10th-july-tickets-162165841397
- Saturday 17th July https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wilderness-opening-saturday-17th-july-tickets-162167494341
As things move forward with the re-opening of services in accordance with the UK Government Roadmap, the Wilderness will be open to the public on Saturday 24th and 31st July with no need to book, as we will be able to welcome visitors with no-limited capacity if restrictions are eased on Monday 19th July.
As you are booking your FREE place, please bear in mind the Wilderness is run by a small team supported by a fantastic group of dedicated volunteers. If you decide not to come on your booked day, please cancel your ticket at least 72 hours before your visit. This will allow other members of the community to visit the Wilderness whilst we will ensure the Wilderness is an accessible garden for all.
Booking your place at the Wilderness
You can visit the Wilderness garden during the week on Monday from 10am – 4pm; Tuesday and Wednesday from 1:30 – 4pm depending on the availability. We welcome members of the public; groups and organisations to book their place to access the Wilderness. To book your place, please email the Wilderness team at [email protected]
The Wilderness team is also running FREE Learning workshops for primary schools especially. Since the reopening of the garden, the Wilderness has welcome pupils from St John’s CofE school and we are extremely grateful of having young learners enjoying outdoor learning in our 7acres garden. Throughout the summer, we will host more learning activities for pupils to enjoy. For more info and resources, please visit our website at https://www.mha.org.uk/get-involved/the-wilderness/learning-resources/ or email us at [email protected]
The Wilderness in July
The main project to restore the garden is now approaching completion; the garden will however continue to be developed and improve.
- Bog Garden
- Acid Grassland Areas
- Scented walkway
- Woodland walk
- Rockery, (now in full flower)
- Fruit Trees/experimental garden and meadows
Further clearances in the garden are continuing to take place in order to increase the acid grassland area. These clearances will allow more light in and its hoped will rejuvenate the seed and bulb bank below the current thick leaf mulch. This area will be seeded with a grass wildflower mix as well. All cuttings will be re-used to increase and maintain the gardens dead hedges which provide both more privacy and new habitats for wildlife.
Wildlife in the garden and its biodiversity is being increased through the re-introduction of plants known to be existed and animals including hedgehogs; slow worms; a variety of birds and even a deer has been seen in the garden recently.
Wilderness Grand Opening
Despite the several challenges faced in the past few months, it is with great excitement that we are confirming the Wilderness Grand Opening event on Monday 30th August.
The time has finally come to celebrate our achievements and the creation of wild garden for the community and further afield to enjoy. More details to follow, so keep an eye on our social media pages:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHAtheWilderness
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHA_Wilderness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mhathewilderness/
Volunteering at the Wilderness
Volunteering at MHA The Wilderness is really like no other and our volunteers are very special to us. We have created a new role to help the Wilderness becoming a more accessible green space. We are looking for a dedicated and passionate individual to become the Wilderness Visitor Engagement Volunteer. This new role has been designed for those who particularly enjoy public speaking and actively engaging with visitors, whilst celebrating the work we do at MHA, the UK’s largest charity care provider.
If you are interested in dedicating some of your time to MHA and The Wilderness garden, please get in contact with the Wilderness team at [email protected]
We will provide role-specific training with relevant member of the team; Health and safety training; and customer service training.
We look forward to seeing you soon.