Please note that Wildwood will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing day
Open every other day 10am - 4pm (last admission 3pm) including New Year's Day.
Merry Christmas from the Wildwood team
Monday, 24 December 2012
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Meet Father Christmas at Wildwood - PLUS Christmas trees!
Meet Father Christmas!
Father Christmas is once again going to be at Wildwood in his grotto to meet all the good little boys and girls.
Every child will receive a special present from Father Christmas to take home. Photos will also be available for an additional fee.
Sat 1st & Sun 2nd December
Sat 8th & Sun 9th December
Sat 15th & Sun16th December
Sat 22nd & Sun 23rd December
1pm - 4pm each day. £6 per child*
*Wildwood membership or entry fees also apply.
To book please call the Wildwood Shop on 01227 712 111
Christmas trees coming soon – order yours today!
Wildwood will once again have Christmas trees for sale, with all proceeds going towards our conservation work to save British Wildlife.
Simply place your order with the Wildwood Shop for delivery to Wildwood. A 50% deposit is required at the time of ordering. Larger trees also available on request.
A selection of trees (up to 6ft) will also be available to buy directly at the Wildwood Shop during December.
To order please call the Wildwood Shop on 01227 712 111
Norway Spruce Price list
2ft (0.6m) = £5.75 / 3ft (0.9m) = £8.75 / 4ft (1.2m) = £11.50 / 5ft (1.5m) = £15 / 6ft (1.8m) = £24
7ft (2.1m) = £29 / 8ft (2.4m) = £36 / 9ft (2.7m) = £48 / 10ft (3m) = £60
Nordman / Frazer (non drop) Price list
2ft (0.6m) = £11.50 / 3ft (0.9m) = £17 / 4ft (1.2m) = £23 / 5ft (1.5m) = £36 / 6ft (1.8m) = £48
7ft (2.1m) = £55 / 8ft (2.4m) = £62 / 9ft (2.7m) = £79 / 10ft (3m) = £108
A selection of trees (up to 6ft) will also be available to buy directly at the Wildwood Shop during December.
To order please call the Wildwood Shop on 01227 712 111
Friday, 16 November 2012
Conservation courses at Wildwood
Did you know that you can study conservation at Wildwood? We offer a diverse range of training courses for all levels of experience, from those simply looking to learn more about British Wildlife to people wishing to expand their conservation skills and experience.
To book any of the courses below please contact Tara lines on 01227 711 471 or email tara@wildwoodtrust.org - Spaces are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Saturday 24th Nov - Introduction to the Smaller British Mustelids
An introduction to the smaller British mustelids – weasels, stoats, polecats and pine martens and American Mink. Identification, field signs, ecology, survey techniques and conservation will be covered.
Course Programme:
9.30 - 10.00 - Welcome tea and coffee
10.00 – 11.15 - Overview of stoats and weasels
11.15 – 11.35 - Break and Refreshments
11.35 – 12.45 - Overview of polecats and pine martens
12.45 – 1.30 - Break for lunch
1.30 – 3.30 - Tour of Wildwood visiting the small mustelids in our collection
3.30 - 3.45 - Tea break
3.45 – 4.15 - How to record Kent Mustelids (and other mammals). Examination of specimens
4.15 – 4.30 - Course Evaluations completed and Certificates handed out
9.30am – 4.30pm. £30 per person (includes Wildwood entry fee). Course Tutor: Suzanne Kynaston. To book call Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email tara@wildwoodtrust.org
Saturday 12th Jan 2013 - Small Mammal Survey Skills
Learn how to survey our smallest mammals using live, humane traps. Includes handling, sexing and identification, trap designs and mechanisms and principles of baiting and setting traps, surveying methods and legislation. In partnership with Kent Mammal Group (KMG)
9.30am – 4.15pm. £30 per person. (Book together with Kent Mammal ID Course for £50). To book call Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email tara@wildwoodtrust.org
*If a survey is carried out for KMG, the course fee may be refunded. Conditions apply.
Saturday 9th Feb 2013 - Kent Mammal Identification
Learn how to identify our larger mammals from their tracks, signs and sightings. Includes a tour of the wildlife park to see some of the animals in the flesh and a close up examination of skins, skulls, antlers etc. Please note that this course does not include mice, voles or shrews which are covered in the Small Mammal Survey Skills course. In partnership with Kent Mammal Group (KMG)
9.45am – 4.00pm. £30 per person (Book together with Small Mammal Survey Skills course for £50). To book call Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email tara@wildwoodtrust.org
*If a survey is carried out for KMG, the course fee may be refunded. Conditions apply.
To book any course please e-mail: Tara@wildwoodtrust.org
We can offer tailor-made training for companies and organisations, including on-site training if appropriate.
www.watervole.wildwoodtrust.org
Friday, 26 October 2012
Wildwood half term event & Jobs
1) Half term events at Wildwood!
2) Change of opening hours
3) Wildwood vacancies
1) Half term events at Wildwood!
We have lots going on this half term (and beyond) at Wildwood!
Monday 29th Oct - Harvest Moon Night Tour
See our animals under the moonlight on a guided tour around the park to coincide with the full moon.
6.30pm - 9pm. £25 per person (includes Wildwood entry fee). Min age 10yrs. Includes hot meal. Must book.
Monday 29th - Friday 2nd Nov - Nature Detective Trail
Be a true nature detective and pick up your free CSI trail to solve the half-term mystery around the park. Crack the case to claim your special badge and certificate.
Drop in any time (no need to book). Only available whilst stocks last. Free event.
Thursday 1st & Friday 2nd Nov - Celtic New Year Tales & Crafts
It's time to look forward to the Celtic new year! Learn all about the animals that were important in Celtic times and listen to amazing animal stories, plus make celtic crafts to take home.
- Make a model Iron Age roundhouse
- Make your own celtic raven
- Clay modelling
- Celtic animal tales
2pm - 3.30pm each day. £2 per person, one adult free per family. Must book.
Sunday 4th Nov - Observational Drawing Course
Draw animal skulls, bones and antlers with advice on drawing techniques from local artist Terri Maloney. Suitable for all ages and abilities.
10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm each day. £10 per person per session, or book both sessions for £15 per person. Min age 12yrs. Must book.
Wednesday 7th Nov - Godmersham Game Night
Another amazing game night with Godmersham Game - back by popular demand! Enjoy a night walk to see our deer followed by 3 courses featuring fabulous local game. Bring a bag and stock up on game for your freezer. Strictly not for vegetarians!
6.45pm - 10m. £25 per person. Must book.
Saturday 17th Nov - Kent Mammal Identification Course
Learn how to identify our larger mammals from their tracks, signs and sightings (please note this course does not include mice, shrews or voles as these are covered on the Small Mammal Survey Skills course)
9.45am - 4pm £30 per person (book together with Small Mammal Survey Skills for £50)
Please book with Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email tara@wildwoodtrust.org
Saturday 24th Nov - Introduction to the Smaller British Mustelids
This course will cover: identification, field signs, ecology, survey techniques and conservation in a classroom session and will include a site tour of the weasels, stoats, polecats, pine martens and American mink of Wildwood.
10am - 4.15pm £30 per person
Please book with Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email tara@wildwoodtrust.org
2) Change of opening hours
After the clocks go back and the nights draw in, our winter opening hours will be:
Sun 28th Oct - Sun 4th Nov: 10am to 4.30pm (last entry 3.30pm)
Mon 5th November - March: 10am - 4pm (last entry 3pm)
02) Wildwood vacancies
We currently have the following vacancies at the park:
Park General Manager
This exciting new role of 'Park General Manager' will lead the park operations & commercial activity of our charity, dedicated to giving our visitors a great day out. Reporting to the Chief Executive with a remit to develop, exploit and manage all secondary spend opportunities whilst ensuring that the park is running smoothly and efficiently.
The Park Manager must have a deep understanding of customer service, facilities management, health and safety and project management, ideally coming from an environment where customer service is paramount.
The role will involve motivating and managing a team, dealing with visitors, personnel, accounting, facilities management and operations. You will be an experienced senior leisure professional, an accomplished and experienced team leader, combining strategic and business awareness with the ability to influence and collaborate across the whole organisation. You will understand leisure best practice in the UK and have delivered steady growth and innovative commercial developments in the leisure industry.
Click here to download and read the full job specification (PDF)
The closing date for applications is 3rd December 2012
Office Manager
Your primary focus will be the smooth running of a busy office. To maintain the Wildwood procedures and systems and ensuring an efficient secretarial facility.
The post holder will work closely with the Chief Executive, our finance team & with the managers of the operational teams. This is a post which will make extensive use of the mix of skills and experience the successful applicant will bring to the job, including:
- Internal communication
- Financial Administration
- Meeting servicing
- Assisting the Chief Executive
- Human Resources
- Health & Safety
Click here to download and read the full job specification (PDF)
The closing date for applications is 19th November 2012
Administrator
Working with the Office Manager, your primary focus will be the smooth running of a busy office. To maintain the Wildwood procedures and systems and ensuring an efficient secretarial facility.
Duties will include:
- Ordering Items needed by other departments
- Record Accidents & Health and Safety information
- Managing stocks of various equipment such as first aid and uniforms
- Internal Communications
- Assisting the Chief Executive
- Human Resources
- Health and Safe
Click here to download and read the full job specification (PDF)
The closing date for applications is 19th November 2012
To apply for any position:
Please download and read the relevant job description.
Application is by C.V. and must contain the following information:
- Name, address, contact phone numbers at home and work (for discreet calls only)
- Employment history
- Educational history
You should include a statement of the relevant skills and experience that you believe you will bring to the job, paying careful attention to the requirements outlined in the job specification. You should give two referees that we may contact for a confidential reference, one of whom should be your current or most recent employer. References will only be taken up for those candidates chosen for interview or, with regard to current employer, on offer of contract.
Please note that we do not acknowlege applications. If you would like yours to be acknowledged, please send via post and enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard.
Applications should be sent to Wildwood Trust, Herne Common, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 7LQ or Email: info@wildwoodtrust.org
Fiona Paterson
Wildwood Trust
Tel 01227 712 111
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Wildwood Food Fair & Hallowe'en crafts!
Wildwood Food Fair & Hallowe'en 2012
Wildwood Food Fair - Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th October
Come to Wildwood this weekend for fabulous food from some of our best local producers. Our first mini-food fair will feature local produce from a range of suppliers, so bring a bag and stock up!
Godmersham Game (fresh game and BBQ)
Cheesemakers of Canterbury
Pearsons Sweet & Tasty Bread & Cakes
Invicta Herbs
Core Fruit Juices
Farmhouse Kitchen Jams & Preserves
Quex Oils and Crisps
Moore Apple Juice
Plus! Wildwood Honey and locally produced sweet treats from the Wildwood Shop
The food fair will be open from 10am to 4pm each day. Please note that Wildwood entry membership or entry fees apply. No need to book, drop in any time.
Spooky hallowe'en crafts - book now!
It's that terrifying time of year again! Get ready for hallowe'en with our annual creepy craft event. Make your own spooky decorations to take home themed around pumpkins, bats, rats, spiders and cats. It's enough to send a shiver down your spine!
Please note that this is a very popular event so early booking is advised.
Monday 29th October
Tuesday 30th October
Wednesday 31st October
The Wildwood Team
Wildwood Trust
Tel: 01227 712 111
Registered Charity no: 1093702
To opt out of Wildwood emails please reply to this email with "unsubcribe" in the subject line
Saturday, 29 September 2012
Wildwood e-news Sept '12
Wildwood e-news September '12
1) New autumn / winter events schedule out now!
2) Join the fight to stop the badger cull
3) Wildwood dormouse release
4) Ecominds update
5) Supporter of the month - Asda
6) Animal of the month - Badger
7) Christmas events
8) Car park closure - 1st to 5th October
9) Items needed
1) New autumn / winter events schedule out now!
The new Wildwood events schedule is out now. There is something for everyone with fun craft sessions, conservation courses and Christmas events (see item 8 below).
Click here to visit our events page for the complete schedule and to download our new events leaflet
Forthcoming events at Wildwood:
Sunday 30th September - Harvest Mouse Conservation Course
A one-day course on the key factors affecting the status and distribution of the harvest mouse. You will have the opportunity to examine harvest mouse nests and gain practical surveying experience in the field. Held at Dungeness Nature Reserve.
10am - 4pm. £30 per person (includes Wildwood entry fee). To book please email Tara Lines: tara@wildwoodtrust.org or call 01227 711 471
Saturday 13th October - Junior Zoo Keeper Experience Day
Do you know a budding zoo keeper? Discover what it's like to work at Wildwood and how we keep our animals happy and healthy.
10am - 12pm. 7-11yrs £50 per person. Must book.
Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th October - Mini Food Fair with Godmersham Game
Mini food market with local food and drink from some of Kent's best local producers. Don't forget to bring a bag and stock up on goodies.
11am - 4pm both days. Free event*. No need to book, drop in any time.
Sunday 14th October - Small Mammal Survey Skills
Learn how to survey our smallest mammals using live traps. Includes handling and identification.
9.30am - 4.15pm £30 per person (book together with Kent Mammal ID Course for £50)
Please book with Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email tara@wildwoodtrust.org or call 01227 711 471
Tuesday 23rd October - Photography Day
Wildlife photography with tuition from our resident photographer. Get exclusive access and special animal feeds to help you get those close-up shots. Over 18 unless accompanied by an adult who is also taking part in the photo day. Gift vouchers also available.
10.30am - 4pm. £79 per person (includes Wildwood entry fee). Must book.
Saturday 27th October - An Introduction to the Ecology and Identification of Fungi
A course focusing on the importance of fungi in the ecosystem and aiming to de-mystify the identification process. The day will include a presentation, microscopic examination of specimens and a foray to discover different types of fungi in their natural habitats.
10am - 4pm £30 per person. Please book with Tara Lines on 01227 711 471 or email tara@wildwoodtrust.org or call 01227 711 471
Monday 29th October - Harvest Moon Night Tour
See our animals under the moonlight on a guided tour around the park to coincide with the full moon.
6.30pm - 9pm. £25 per person (includes Wildwood entry fee). Min age 10yrs. Includes hot meal. Must book.
Monday 29th - Wednesday 31st October - Hallowe'en Craft event
Get ready for Hallowe'en with our annual creepy craft event. Make your own suitably spooky decorations to take home themed around pumpkins, bats, rats, spiders and cats.
11.30am - 1pm or 2pm - 3.30pm each day. £2 per person, one adult free per family. Must book.
Monday 29th - Friday 2nd November - Nature Detective Trail
Be a true nature detective and pick up your free CSI trail to solve the half-term mystery around the park. Crack the case to claim your special badge and certificate.
Drop in any time (no need to book). Only available while stocks last. Free event*.
To book craft events, night tours, zoo keeper or photo days, please call the office on 01227 712 111. To book a conservation event (in green) please email tara@wildwoodtrust.org or call 01227 711 471. *Wildwood membership or entry fees apply.
2) Join the fight to stop the badger cull
Following the recent news that badgers are to be culled in England this autumn to combat bovine tuberculosis (bTB), Wildwood has joined the fight to stop the cull.
The government has given the go-ahead for two pilot zones in the South West with a view to extending the scheme across the country. If a nationwide cull goes ahead as many as 100,000 badgers could be shot, including many perfectly healthy animals.
Wildwood agrees that bovine TB is a problem that needs to be addressed. It has blighted cattle farming in the UK for decades and costs the taxpayer millions of pounds every year in destroying cattle and compensating affected farmers. However, we believe that a culling badgers is a short-term and unsustainable approach that will do little to address the problem in the long run whilst needlessly slaughtering thousands of healthy animals.
Rather than a cull of badgers, the issue of bovine TB needs a long-term, scientific approach that deals with the problems of modern industrial cattle farming. Our government and farmers need to work together to find long term, evidence-based solutions that include badger vaccinations, better farming practices and improved cattle welfare.
We are therefore asking all of our members to sign the official badger cull e-petition to force the government to re-think their plans.
For more information on the proposed cull and bovine TB please watch our video: Wildwood Chief Executive, Peter Smith on why a badger cull is not the answer
3) Wildwood dormouse release
Wildwood is celebrating playing a major part in a new dormouse reintroduction programme to help save the species from extinction. This summer our dedicated team joined forces with the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) to release breeding pairs of dormice to a secret woodland location in Warwickshire. The site was specially selected as a suitable habitat and Wildwood was the main provider of dormice for the project, donating several pairs to recolonize the area. Members of the Wildwood Conservation and Keeper teams were on hand to monitor the initial release and the project has so far been hailed as a great success.
In recent years the hazel dormouse has suffered a dramatic fall in numbers due habitat loss and unsympathetic woodland management and is now classed as extremely vulnerable to extinction meaning that without urgent action it could disappear from the UK forever.
For this project the dormice were reintroduced using a "soft release" system. Soft releases work by introducing an animal into a new area slowly by providing them with food and protection until they are fully adjusted to their new environment. In this case the breeding pairs where placed in secure wooden nest boxes which were then fitted inside larger mesh cages on the woodland trees. The dormice were checked and fed daily in these cages over a two week period before a small door in each cage was left open, allowing the dormice to leave the cage. This method allowed the dormice to explore their new home whilst still having the security of the mesh cage and food if needed. Once the dormice had settled into the woodland and were no longer using the cages they were removed.
We are extremely pleased to have been a part of this important project and for Wildwood's members this release is another example of how your support is making a very real difference to British wildlife. So we'd like to say a big thank-you from all of our team, and of course from the dormice!
4) Ecominds Update
The Ecominds team have been hard at work on our new otter enclosure which is taking shape nicely. The volunteers have been helping with the main enclosure and have also taken on the behind-the-scenes hospital pools as their own mini-project.
The team are helping to put the final touches to 2 special hospital pools that will be used to look after sick otters or to introduce new otters to the enclosure. This facility will allow the Wildwood keepers to separate the otters if required into a special quarantine area, whilst allowing the main enclosure to operate normally.
The volunteers have successfully carried out most of the work on the pools and have been learning new skills in the process. Under the guidance of our rangers, they have been:
- Using the cement mixers to mix their own cement and cementing the inside of the pools to make them durable, water tight and easy to clean.
- Building fencing around the hospital pools to create a private area for otters when they are unwell and are requiring treatment.
- Learning how to lay crazy paving, and helping to pave the floor around the hospital pools so they can be washed down and disinfected easily.
About Ecominds
Wildwood's Ecominds Volunteers project has been funded by Ecominds, a £7.5million funding scheme run by Mind on behalf of the BIG Lottery Fund. Ecominds involves people with direct experience of mental distress in environmental projects that improve their mental and physical health. The scheme offers participants the chance to learn new skills and gain practical experience whilst boosting their confidence. At Wildwood the team help in many areas such as gardening, maintenance and assisting in the day-to-day running of the park, all of which give them important life-skills.
5) Supporter of the Month - Asda Supermarket, Canterbury
Wildwood is delighted to have been voted winners of Asda's "Chosen by you ...given by us" charity award after Shoppers at the Canterbury store voted for us via an in-store token system. Asda community colleague Jayne Tutt came along to the park to present the cheque for £200 to Jess Walters, Wildwood's fundraising co-ordinator who said "we are very grateful to all the Asda shoppers who voted for Wildwood, it's great to know that we have a lot of local support and the donation will really help us at the park". The donation will be spent on the upkeep of the park and looking after our animals. We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted for us, we really appreciate your support!
6) Animal of the month - badger