Army families play dirty as event draws them into nature

Children just love to explore woodland, play with mud and create their own art, so a free family fun afternoon and barbeque at Down Barn Wood in Larkhill, near Bulford on Saturday 17th July should hit the spot for an ideal summer’s day out.

The event is one of many to be run by the  Trust’s ‘There is Space Here!’ project aiming to encourage residents in military service communities to reconnect with the natural world on their doorsteps.

From 12pm – 2pm the project will help families get stuck into making tree spirits and woodland masks, have a go at a Scrapstore workshop and create natural jewellery and mud paintings.

Those with bags of energy can put themselves through an assault course, pursue a nature trail and go on a minibeast hunt. And when they’re tired and hungry they can tuck into a free barbecue from 2pm -3pm.

‘There is Space Here!’ is a three-year project funded by Natural England, The Big Lottery and the Ministry of Defence. It aims to create five community conservation areas in Bulford, Tidworth, Warminster, Winterbourne Gunner and Larkhill, and run a programme of conservation-based activities in those areas.

Project officer Beth Fowkes says: “Many people in army communities such as Larkhill just aren’t aware that there are natural spaces near them which they can access and enjoy. This may be partly because so much of Salisbury Plain is out of bounds that it inhibits them from exploring. But also because, if these natural spaces are behind razor wire with no obvious way in, they just don’t look welcoming."

So the project is working with the Ministry of Defence and community members to pinpoint and put into practice ideas that will make people’s enjoyment so much greater. It will also help these communities gain a greater understanding of how their local nature spaces interact and form part of a much wider landscape.

“People have told us they want places to picnic and paths for pushchairs; they want us to identify good walking routes, provide information about local wildlife and come up with ideas for free or cheap family activities,” says Beth.

Suggestions range from ornamental gateways, artworks, brass rubbing trails, totem poles, a cobb oven for barbeques, sound posts placed along pathways, to a sensory walk offering perfumed plants and tinkling wind chimes.

The need for family events in these communities is not in doubt. More than 500 Larkhill people of all ages turned up to take part in the first fun day held in April 2010, also at Down Barn Wood.

“The nature of army life, where families are moved around every few years and live in self-contained communities, means that some service families can feel very isolated. Our events will provide an opportunity for people to mingle and form friendships,” points out Beth.

The project’s remit is comprehensive. Along with laying on practical conservation work, guided walks, environmental play sessions and school sessions, it will develop activity packs and site maps for each area. And at the end of the project, it will provide an online Toolkit that can be used by other military communities in the UK to create their own natural spaces.

If you would like to find out more about the project, please contact Beth on bethf@wiltshirewildlife.org or 07900 262119.