Oil company CEOs to be sentenced for crime of Ecocide in ground-breaking mock legal hearing

Oil company CEOs to be sentenced for crime of Ecocide in ground-breaking mock legal hearing

This Saturday, in a live webcast, Wildwood's boss Peter Smith will be playing out his fondest hopes when he helps bring some of the world's most heinous wildlife criminals to justice in a ground-breaking mock trial under a proposed new law of ecocide.

Peter will be using his ecological skills as an expert witness in helping sentence the Chief Executives of two fictional oil companies on 31 March for major environmental destruction, in a world-first legal process. Top lawyers including Michael Mansfield QC will take part in the mock sentencing at the Institute for Democracy & Conflict Resolution at the University of Essex.
Peter Smith, Chief Executive of the Canterbury based Wildwood Trust said:
"It is a great honour to have been chosen to represent the animals affected by the proposed 'Ecocide' crime. In reality all around us we are committing the most atrocious crimes of 'ecocide' and the culprits, many financed by the banks and financial institutions of the city of London, are growing rich when they should either confront their crimes and make restitution or face the full justice of the law"
"I will be helping these fictitious big bosses understand the destruction their actions inflict on nature and what we can do to prevent it. It will also be my proposal in the process of restorative justice that it is possible to have a thriving economy, employment and a healthy environment through a simple change in our taxation system. The simple process of transferring taxes from incomes and commerce to the use of land and natural resources will solve the majority of our crimes against nature. This will stimulate the switch from a stagnating economy with massive monopoly income for those that control land and natural resources to a thriving economy that destroys natural monopolies, seeking out technologies that value nature, and at the same time does not penalise hard work and commerce with taxes. Such a system will put a real value on nature and land, saving its natural wealth for our future generations."
At a mock trial at the UK Supreme Court in September, the two CEOs were found guilty of the crime of Ecocide, a new law that has been proposed to the United Nations covering mass destruction of ecosystems. The law itself would be revolutionary, imprisonment would be the last resort, the punishment would focus on deterring organisations from committing the crime again.
This sentencing is also unique in bringing the head of a corporation face to face with those affected by their company's destructive practices. Kent based Wildwood Trust's own chief executive will be representing the animals and habitats affected, most importantly the 320 species of migratory birds that are having their habitat destroyed based on real-world oil extraction in the Canadian tar sands.
One of the two fictional CEOs, Robert Bannerman, has admitted responsibility for his crimes since being found guilty and will take part in a process called restorative justice. Through dialogue the restorative meeting will attempt to find a positive way forward to repair the harm caused - accepting business has a responsibility but going beyond simply fines or a prison sentence.
The other oil company Chief Executive, John Tench, has refused to admit to his crimes and will be sentenced in the normal way.
Lawrence Kershen QC, Chair of the Restorative Justice Council, will facilitate the restorative justice process: "One of these individuals has now accepted responsibility for what his company did, and he and the victims have agreed to have a dialogue. I hope that this restorative justice process will offer new ways to address corporate crimes by bringing all the parties together and seeking to repair the harm done to the victims."
Simon Hamilton, Chairman of the Hamilton Group, co-organisers of the event: "The mock trial at the Supreme Court allowed a forensic examination of how the law of Ecocide would work in practice and proved that this proposed law is valid. The ethical and moral case for making Ecocide a crime must now be a priority for decision-makers in Government and business throughout the world."
Professor Todd Landman, Director at the Institute for Democracy & Conflict Resolution, also co-organising the event added: "The Institute for Democracy and Conflict Resolution is excited to host this event and to show how the process of restorative justice can serve as a model for resolving conflicts between multinational corporations and the wide range of their victims. At a time when the world is demanding more accountability for corporations, this event provides a great example of how restorative justice works."
This landmark event is open to the public and press and will also be broadcast live online at www.idcr.org.uk/ecocide-trial-the-sentence There will be a series of debates and speakers discussing issues raised in the restorative justice process. The hearing itself will take place after representations by Prosecuting Barrister Michael Mansfield QC and Defence Barrister Adam Hiddleston to the Judge. Lawrence Kershen QC, Chair of the Restorative Justice Council, will lead the restorative justice process.

---Ends---

Notes to Editors
The sentencing event on 31 March is being jointly organised by The Hamilton Group and the Institute for Democracy & Conflict Resolution.
After the sentencing takes place, a press conference will be held, provisionally scheduled for 5.00pm/17.00 British Summer Time (4.00pm/16.00 GMT) at the event and online through a live video link. The confirmed time and details of how to join online will be available nearer the time at www.idcr.org.uk/ecocide-trial-the-sentence

For press enquiries please contact:
- Institute for Democracy & Conflict Resolution: University of Essex press officecomms@essex.ac.uk +44 (0)1206 872400

- Peter Smith, Wildwood Trust CEO, 01227 712111,  peter@wildwoodtrust.org

Peter Smith
Chief Executive
Wildwood Trust

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e-mail:  peter@wildwoodtrust.org
Tel:  01227 712111www.wildwoodtrust.org

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Wildwood Trust

Herne Common

Herne Bay

Kent

CT6 7LQ

 Registered Charity No 1093702

 Wildwood Trust is Kent's unique 'Woodland Discovery Park', a visitor attraction with a difference.

 Wildwood is not only the best place to bring the family for a day out, but it is also a bold and innovative new charity, backed by the UK's leading wildlife conservationists. As a new charity Wildwood needs everyone's support in its mission to save our native and once native wildlife from extinction.

Wildwood Trust's vision is to bring back our true 'wildwood', a unique new way of restoring Britain's land to its natural state. This involves releasing large wild herbivores and developing conservation grazing systems to restore natural ecological processes to help Britain team with wildlife again.

The Wildwood 'Woodland Discovery Park' is an ideal day out for all the family where you can come 'nose to nose' with British Wildlife. Wildwood offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here.

Set in a sublime 38 acres of Ancient Woodland, Wildwood offers visitors a truly unique experience. Come Nose to Nose with our secretive badgers, experience what it is like to be hunted by a real live pack of wolves, watch a charging wild boar or track down a beaver in his lodge.

Wildwood Trust runs a highly successful programme of Conservation Projects - we are the UK's leading experts in rescuing and re-establishing colonies of Britain's most threatened mammal, the water vole. Wildwood Trust has pioneered the use of ancient wild horses to restore nature reserve. Wildwood Trust has been at the forefront of efforts to re-establish the European Beaver back in Britain where they belong. European Beaver have been proven to help manage water ways to bring back a huge range of plants, insects and animals.

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Wild horse foal born at Wildwood

Welcome to Wildwoods' spring baby – cute wild horse foal marks the arrival of spring

Wildwood, Kent's unique wildlife and woodland park, is celebrating its first spring baby, a beautiful wild horse foal.

The new foal is the first konik horse to be born in 2012 and heralds the arrival of spring at the wildlife park. The female foal was born last week and has already been spotted practising running around her enclosure.

Senior keeper Alan Keeling said "This is an exciting time of year when we have births at the park. The new foal is doing very well; she is strong and healthy and is mixing well with the rest of the herd."

Konik foals are able to stand as soon as one hour after birth and start walking and running soon after in order to keep up with the herd. The foal will be weaned at around 2 months and will be eating grass with the rest of the herd by 5 months of age. The foal is unlikely to be named as she will eventually be moved out of the park to join other herds in Wildwood's conservation grazing programme.

Wildwood's Konik horses are part of the trust's conservation grazing programme which uses large herbivores as natural habitat managers. As Koniks are very hardy they require little or no human intervention meaning they can be left to naturally graze over large areas. The horses clear scrub which boosts biodiversity by allowing plants that would otherwise be shaded out to flourish. Their dung also helps to attract new species; beetles and other insects lay their eggs in the dung, the resulting insects then provide food for many species of birds, which in turn can encourage the presence of birds of prey to the area.

The new arrival is currently living with the small herd of horses resident at Wildwood, but most of our horses reside on nature reserves. Wildwood manages herds of Koniks on nature reserves around Kent, at Stodmarsh, Gibben's Brook, Wraik Hill and South Swale. There are public footpaths running through or past all four nature reserves so the horses can be seen by the public. Numbers of horses on the reserves varies as foals are born and horses are moved from one reserve to another in order to avoid inbreeding and to maintain harmony amongst the herd.

Konik horses are just one of the huge range of British animals that can be seen at the Wildwood, near Canterbury, off the A291 between Herne Bay and Canterbury. For more information visit our website at www.wildwoodtrust.org or telephone 0871 782 008.

**********end************

Pictures attached

Further information on Konik Horses

Wildwood Trust & Kent Wildlife Trust pioneered the re-introduction of these amazing animals to the UK in 2002. The two Kent based nature conservation charities brought the first ever of their breed to arrive in southern England and these horses and their offspring have been helping to restore some of the most precious national nature reserves in the UK.

The Konik horse is the closest living relative of the extinct Tarpan, the wild forest horse that roamed Britain in prehistoric times. The horses are the last descendants of the true wild horse of Britain and Europe and have survived centuries of persecution and even squads of Nazis sent to kidnap them for genetic experiments.

Konik horses show numerous primitive features, associated with their ancestor, the Tarpan. They are resistant to harsh climates and severe weather conditions, hence their extensive range. They are very fertile and can produce numerous offspring in their lifetime. As they are adapted to foraging in the wild, they can live on a limited amount of food and have an extremely resilient immune system. They are very intelligent, allowing them to adapt their diet according to season and food availability. Konik horses do not require horseshoes as their hooves are naturally self-trimming, breaking off as they become too long.

Fiona Paterson
Wildwood Trust
Herne Common
Herne Bay
Kent
CT6 7LQ

Registered Charity No 1093702Tel: 01227 712111www.wildwoodtrust.org

email: fiona@wildwoodtrust.org

Wildwood Trust is Kent's unique 'Woodland Discovery Park', a visitor attraction with a difference.

Wildwood is not only the best place to bring the family for a day out, but it is also a bold and innovative new charity, backed by the UK's leading wildlife conservationists. As a new charity Wildwood needs everyone's support in its mission to save our native and once native wildlife from extinction.

Wildwood Trust's vision is to bring back our true 'wildwood', a unique new way of restoring Britain's land to its natural state. This involves releasing large wild herbivores and developing conservation grazing systems to restore natural ecological processes to help Britain team with wildlife again.

The Wildwood 'Woodland Discovery Park' is an ideal day out for all the family where you can come see British Wildlife past and present. Wildwood offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here.

Set in a sublime 38 acres of Ancient Woodland, Wildwood offers visitors a truly unique experience. Come Nose to Nose with our secretive badgers, experience what it is like to be hunted by a real live pack of wolves, watch a charging wild boar or see a beaver in his lodge.

Wildwood Trust runs a highly successful programme of Conservation Projects - we are the UK's leading experts in rescuing and re-establishing colonies of Britain's most threatened mammal, the water vole. Wildwood Trust has pioneered the use of ancient wild horses to restore nature reserve. Wildwood Trust has been at the forefront of efforts to re-establish the European Beaver back in Britain where they belong. European Beaver have been proven to help manage water ways to bring back a huge range of plants, insects and animals.

Wildwood celebrates as the free beavers remain free

 

Wildwood Trust's members and staff have been celebrating a momentous victory in their efforts to re-establish beaver to the UK after the Scottish Government instructed that its programme to kill over 100 beavers living wild and free near Perth be abandoned.

 

The Scottish environment minister, Stewart Stevenson, after consulting wildlife experts and listening to advice from groups such as Wildwood Trust and the Scottish Wild Beaver Group chose to suspend the trapping and to review the position in 2015, when an official beaver reintroduction study is due to end.

 

The population of 'free beavers' as they have become known, has grown on the River Tay over the last 10 years, living wild and free.  There is a good chance these beaver were actually legally imported by Wildwood and quarantined at our park; this would have been just before we became a charity. Unknown to Wildwood, some of these beavers who had been given to a small zoo near the river Tay subsequently escaped and from that escape a population of around 120 has grown.

 

Wildwood Trust's members rallied to the cause, joining  hundreds of others in writing letters urging the Scottish Environment Minister to save the beaver in the weeks running up to the decision.

 

But the battle to re-establish these natural waterway managers continues with some extreme landowning groups calling on farmers to shoot the beaver on sight as reported in the Daily Telegraph.

 

Wildwood Trust Chief Executive said 

"This is a momentous day and a major step towards restoring the health of our riverbanks and wetlands. Beavers are the most important animal in helping restore the British countryside. Beavers are a 'keystone' species and their marvellous management of riverbanks helps create a home for a huge range of other wildlife."

 

"Since we hunted beavers to extinction in the UK about 400 years ago our rivers and streams have been much the poorer. Riverbank animals like otters, water voles, dragonflies and kingfishers have all suffered in their absence."

 

"Beavers create wetlands and these wetlands act as a giant sponge helping to retain and purify water, prevent pollution, they also reduce flooding which, of course could help reduce the cost of our water bills. A study in Germany estimated that every beaver was worth about £2,500 in reduced water bills and benefits to the people who lived nearby them."

 

Wildwood's good friend Louise Ramsay, who has lead the fight to protect the beaver in Scotland,  and heads the Scottish Wild Beaver Group commented on BBC Radio Scotland that" beavers have a tremendously positive impact on the environment by creating new pools for wildlife and river species, and allowing forests to regenerate. Beavers exist in the whole of Eurasia and North America and mitigation techniques have been developed for all the types of problems that beavers can produce,"

 

See more on the story on YouTube:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3forx8hqZ_A

&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cflbkWRtaXQ

 

************ end *****************

 

Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK in the 17th century for their pelts, their meat and their musk glands, which had medicinal properties.

Beavers can and do dramatically change the landscape. The beaver is a keystone species - their skills as foresters and engineers create and maintain ponds and wetlands that increase biodiversity purify water and prevent large-scale flooding.

Scientist estimate that in America restoring only 3 percent of the original, beaver created, wetlands might suffice to prevent catastrophic floods; the same could be true for the UK.

Scottish Natural History's director of science, Colin Galbraith, said:

"More than 20 other countries, including France, Germany and Denmark have reintroduced beavers and the experience has been very positive. Beavers fit into the landscape very well and in places like Brittany they have become part of the environment, with minimal damage to agriculture and other interests. "Beaver dams would improve water quality, produce new habitats for fish and help reduce flooding downstream."

 

 

Peter Smith
Chief Executive

Wildwood Trust
Herne Common
Herne Bay
Kent
CT6 7LQ

Registered Charity No 1093702
Tel: 01227 712111
www.wildwoodtrust.org

Wildwood Trust is Kent's unique 'Woodland Discovery Park', a visitor attraction with a difference.

Wildwood is not only the best place to bring the family for a day out, but it is also a bold and innovative new charity, backed by the UK's leading wildlife conservationists. As a new charity Wildwood needs everyone's support in its mission to save our native and once native wildlife from extinction.

Wildwood Trust's vision is to bring back our true 'wildwood', a unique new way of restoring Britain's land to its natural state. This involves releasing large wild herbivores and developing conservation grazing systems to restore natural ecological processes to help Britain team with wildlife again.

The Wildwood 'Woodland Discovery Park' is an ideal day out for all the family where you can come see British Wildlife past and present. Wildwood offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here.

Set in a sublime 38 acres of Ancient Woodland, Wildwood offers visitors a truly unique experience. Come Nose to Nose with our secretive badgers, experience what it is like to be hunted by a real live pack of wolves, watch a charging wild boar or see a beaver in his lodge.

Wildwood Trust runs a highly successful programme of Conservation Projects - we are the UK's leading experts in rescuing and re-establishing colonies of Britain's most threatened mammal, the water vole. Wildwood Trust has pioneered the use of ancient wild horses to restore nature reserve. Wildwood Trust has been at the forefront of efforts to re-establish the European Beaver back in Britain where they belong. European Beaver have been proven to help manage water ways to bring back a huge range of plants, insects and animals.

Wildwood e-news March '12

 
Wildwood e-news March 2012
    

1) Easter events at Wildwood
2) Ken West Aviary now open!
3) Bushcraft Experience Day - 25th March
4) Letting us know a change of name or address - membership
5) Supporter of the month - Gordon engraving
6) Animal of the month - Raven
7) Schools & Groups at Wildwood - visits from just £2 per person
8) Items needes - can you help?

 

 

1) Easter events at Wildwood

 

The Easter holidays are almost here! At Wildwood we have a fun-packed schedule of events throughout the holidays:

Mon 2nd Apr - Thurs 5th Apr - Easter Animal Crafts
Make hares, rabbits and chicks to take home in our fun Easter themed craft workshop.
Daily sessions: 11.30am - 1pm. & 2pm - 3.30pm. £2 per person (one adult free per family). Drop in anytime.

Thursday 5th Apr - Frog Moon Night Tour
See our animals under the moonlight on a guided tour to coincide with the full moon when Wildwood comes alive with the sounds of the woodland at night. A unique experience for any animal lover. 
7.30pm-10pm. £25 each including hot meal at 7.30pm. Min. age 10yrs. Must book.

Easter Weekend: 6th - 9th April - FREE Easter Hares Trail
Pick up a free Easter hare trail from the shop on arrival. Complete your trail as you make your way around the park and claim your free special prize with every completed trail.
Free event, no need to book.

Tuesday 10th Apr - Back to the Stone Age  - Skills & Crafts
An all-day event in two parts to discover life in the Stone Age. From 11am - 12.30pm: learn Stone Age skills in the woods, then from 2pm-3.30pm make beads, shell amulets and leather pouches to take home.
Min age 7yrs.  £3 per person (one adult free per family). Must book.

Wednesday 11th Apr - Discover Ice Age Art
Ice Age Art activity day in 2 parts: join Steve Kirk from 11am - 12.30pm for a walking art lesson around the park to sketch the animals and then from 2pm-3.30pm create your own Ice Age paintings and sculptures.
Min age 7yrs.  £3 per person (one adult free per family). Must book.

Thurs 12th & Friday 13th Apr - Dinosaurs!
What is a dinosaur? How big where they? What sounds did they make? Find out about the biggest animals that ever lived and make dinos to take home.
2pm - 3pm.  £2 per person (one adult free per family). Must book.

To book any event call 01227 712 111. Please note - entry or membership fees apply for all events (except Night Tours).

 

2) Ken West Aviary now open!

Wildwood's newest attraction, the Ken West Aviary is now open! The new centre for coastal birds was officially opened by local MP Sir Roger Gale and Wildwood's founding chairman, Ken West, after whom the aviary is named.

The new aviary replaces Wildwood's old Sea Bird enclosure which was originally the brainchild of Ken but was badly damaged by last year's heavy snow. The new enclosure will hold rescued breeding waders and other rare seabirds.

At 33 metres long and 9 metres high, the huge new aviary is the largest enclosure of its kind in Kent and has been constructed to a very high standard by Wildwood's Ranger and Keeper teams to create a unique exhibit that will inspire and educate visitors for years to come. The aviary is currently home to night herons, little egrets and redshanks, with more birds planned for introduction in the coming months.

The centre has been named after Ken West in recognition of his continued support for the Wildwood Trust and his exceptional work to protect the wildlife of Kent. Be sure to visit the new aviary on your next visit (next to the fallow deer enclosure).

3) Bushcraft experience day - 25th March - spaces still available

Spaces still available on our spring bushcraft experience day!

 

Join our natural heritage officer, Steve Kirk for a day of bushcraft and survival techniques at Wildwood. The day is your chance to get back to nature and learn basic bushcraft techniques with tuition and practical activities. To book call the office on 01227 712 111

 

Practical activities will include:

• Early spring foraging.
• Preparing and cooking a rabbit.*
• Atlatl (spear thrower) demonstration and practice (space permitting).
• Learn about animal tracking and field signs.
• See the field signs of around 30 species including terrestrial mammals and some birds.
• Observe Wildwood's captive animals, affording rare opportunities to see their field signs, e.g. bison, lynx, wolves, wild boar.

 

Learn:

• Why we track animals.
• Different kinds of field signs, some from wild animals active around Wildwood, and others from Wildwood's captive animals.
• Learn about where wild animals come and go.
• How to use all your senses.
• Learn how to use a tracking stick.
• Learn how to tune in to your environment using all your senses.
• How to recognise spring plants.
• Tracking skills.
• How to prepare a rabbit for the pot*

 

Remember to bring a digital camera (if possible) and a notebook.

 

The day runs from 10-4pm (with one hour for lunch, bring a packed lunch or purchase lunch in our cafe). Cost £35 per person. Min age 12yrs (12-16yrs must be accompanied by a participating adult). Please note this event is subject to weather conditions. *Preparing a rabbit is an optional activity.

 
To book please call the office on 01227 712 111

 

4) Membership records update - change of name/address

Don't forget you can let us know about the following changes to your membership by emailing: pat@wildwoodtrust.org

• Change of address
• Correction / Change of name details (i.e. after getting married)
• Lost cards

Please include:

• Your name (as per our current records)
• Postcode (as per our current records)
• Membership number (if known)
• Contact telephone number (in case of queries)

If you need to let us know of a change of address/name or a lost card and would are planning a visit over Easter please can you email us before the holidays so that we can amend your records ahead of time.

 

5) Supporter of the month - Gordon Engraving

We would like to say a big thank you this month to Gordon Engraving in Canterbury who supplied the wonderful plaque for our new aviary. Their handywork is pictured above with some of our ranger team who built the aviary at the official opening. We wanted to give the new enclosure a smart sign to show that it is dedicated to our founding chairman Ken West, and the team at Gordon Engraving worked wonders for us – we are delighted with the results!

For more information on Gordon Engraving, visit their website: www.gordonengraving.co.uk

 

6) Animal of the month - Raven

Raven (Corvus corax)

Life of a Raven

Ravens are omnivores, feeding mainly on small mammals and carrion but also eggs, insects, fruit, nuts and seeds. Ravens belong to the crow family (Corvidae), who are renowned for their intelligence. At first glance a raven may look like a crow but if you see the two side by side, ravens are easily recognised as they are so much larger. Their black feathers are iridescent so they look colourful in sunlight.

The raven is the largest of this family in Britain and, at two feet in length, is the largest British perching bird. Ravens are found across the northern hemisphere and can survive in a range of habitats from the Arctic to the deserts of north Africa and the islands of the Pacific. Ravens are often associated with wolves, following them to scavenge from carcasses.

Ravens make a huge variety of sounds, including alarm calls, chase calls, and flight calls. Non-vocal sounds include wing whistles and bill snapping.  If a member of a pair is lost, its mate reproduces the calls of its lost partner to encourage its return. Ravens are known to steal and hide shiny objects such as pebbles, pieces of metal, and golf balls. One theory is that they hoard shiny objects in order to impress other ravens. Other research indicates that juveniles are deeply curious about all new things, and that ravens are attracted to bright, round objects based on their similarity to bird eggs.

Raven families

Young ravens begin to court at a very early age, but may not bond for another two or three years before mating and raising young at around four or five years old.  Aerial acrobatics and demonstrations of intelligence and ability to provide food are key behaviours of courting. Once paired, ravens tend to nest together for life, usually in the same location. Breeding pairs must have a territory of their own before they begin nest-building and aggressively defend a territory and its food resources. The nest is a deep bowl made of large sticks and twigs, bound together with an inner layer of roots, mud, and bark and lined with a softer material, such as deer fur. The nest is usually placed in a large tree or on a cliff ledge. Females lay between three to seven pale bluish-green, brown-blotched eggs. Incubation is about 18 to 21 days, by the female only. Young fledge at 35 to 42 days, and are fed by both parents. They stay with their parents for another six months after fledging. In most places where ravens live, including Britain, egg laying begins in late February.

Ravens At Wildwood

We have two female ravens on display at Wildwood. The difference between male and female ravens is practically impossible to distinguish, as their plumage is identical and once fully grown they are the same size. Ravens are famously intelligent and one of our birds, Morwena, has learnt to copy the mating calls of several of the wild birds around the park, such as woodpeckers and great tits. She loves attention and often gets jealous if people are looking at other animals, rather than her, so she will make lots of noises to get noticed.

Folklore

For thousands of years the raven has been regarded as a creature of the supernatural, sometimes worshipped as a protector, sometimes feared as an agent of death. In Britain, the raven is traditionally a bird of ill-omen and death and is only rarely seen as a bringer of good fortune. This is perhaps not surprising, due to the fact that ravens are carrion-eaters and in olden times would commonly have been seen around battlefields and gallows.

The Celts had a very high regard for ravens, mainly as creatures of battle. The war goddess Badb Catha was known as the raven of battle, while many creatures such as the Black Annis assumed the form of a huge raven when attacking lone travellers. In the Mabigonion, Owein's band of warriors are referred to as his fighting ravens. The Mabigonion also refers to the legend of Bran, the greatest of the Celtic kings. The head of Bran, whose name means Raven, is said to have been buried on Tower Hill to protect London from invasion. It is from such a background that the story of the ravens of the tower of London may have arisen. It is said that should the ravens ever leave the Tower, the Tower will collapse and a terrible disaster will befall England.  To this day, seven ravens live at the Tower of London, six plus one spare, just in case!

Did you know? Ravens…

·         are incredibly acrobatic and males can even fly upside down.

·         are highly intelligent and good problem solvers.

·         may look jet black all over but in young ones the inside of their beak is scarlet.

·         are good mimics and can copy a human voice.

7) Schools & Groups at Wildwood

Want an engaging school or group trip? Give your students the opportunity to get out into the woods to experience first-hand the plants and animals to be found in their local environment. Wildwood's wide array of trees, plants and animals are here for you to study and our experienced tutors will ensure you get the most from your day.

 

From KS1 to A-level and postgraduate, we have options in all ranges; from variety of life, to adaptation, animal homes and habitats, food chains, forensic science and practical woodland ecology . Our qualified, experienced tutors and fantastic educational resources make these curriculum-linked programmes come alive.

 

Group rates are available for schools, colleges and organised groups. Teachers and group organisers are always welcome to visit the park in advance for a FREE pre-visit inspection, either independently or to meet the education team and discuss plans for their day.

 

Book your school / group trip now for these great benefits:

• Prices start from as little as £2 per person
• Curriculum based activities for all ages and abilities
• Group activities from only £15
• Free teacher pre-visit inspections
• Free teacher places when you book any educational activity
• £20 off coach hire with Kent Top Travel
• Wildwood can design a day or activity especially for your school

 

To book an educational visit or for more details visit www.wildwoodtrust.org or e-mail education@wildwoodtrust.org

 

 

8) Urgent appeal - can you help?

As a conservation charity we love to recycle and can make use of lots of things that might otherwise go into landfill. We urgently need the following items for use around the park, if you can help please contact the office on 01227 712 111.

• Large plastic storage boxes with lids - For use in our new conservation building.
• Old sheepskin slippers or boots - for use by our educational workshops (sheepskin prefferred, faux fur OK).
• Flatscreen TFT computer monitors - for use in the Wildwood office.
• Glass fishtanks / vivariums (min 2ft long, lids not required) - for use in our conservation centre.

If you can help with any of the above items please contact the office on 01227 712 111. Anything you can help with will be gratefully received.

Many thanks,

Fiona Paterson

Wildwood Trust

Herne Common,

Herne Bay,

Kent

CT6 7LQ