About the event

A day's course aimed at those managing churchyards, offering an opportunity to explore the wildlife found in the grounds of the churchyard at St Mary's Church in Ixworth near Bury St Edmunds. Led by Cathy Smith, Conservation Adviser for Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

Find out how to understand the wildlife value of burial grounds, the place of churchyards within a wider network of habitats and how to record any sightings. We will be focusing in particular on meadow flowers but covering the wider wildlife interest, such as veteran trees, found in churchyards too.

We will explore how churchyards can be managed to balance the needs of different user groups and the interests of nature. Learn how nature forms a vital role within the Eco Church award and ways in which church communities can engage with the wider parish community.

A morning session in Ixworth Village Hall will be followed by an afternoon exploring the wildlife of St Mary's churchyard, one of Suffolk's beautiful and well-cared for churchyards. We are grateful to the team at St Mary's for allowing us to use their beautiful church and grounds.

Tea and coffee will be provided. Please feel free to bring your own re-usable mug, or a flask.

You will also need:
A packed lunch 
Notepad and pen 
A camera or binoculars if you wish

Please dress suitably for the weather and for walking around the churchyard.

When booking please ensure your email/contact address is correct as it will be used to send event joining instructions. If you do not receive these instructions after booking, please contact: wild.learning@suffolkwildlifetrust.org

Please note that your booking is non-refundable and non-transferable and we run all our courses based on a minimum number of participants. You can find our full Terms & Conditions via this link:  https://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/wildlearninginfo

This course is part of a new programme of Community Wildlife Courses arranged by Suffolk Wildlife Trust to support communities, parish councils and churches in optimising the habitat for wildlife in their local public spaces. Topics in the programme include:
Wildlife in your parish
Community ponds for Wildlife
Understanding your community's river
Community meadows
Churchyard management  
Understanding your Community's habitat
Community hedges for Wildlife
Community Trees for Wildlife

To find all our courses as they are launched you can visit our Adult Learning page here: www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/wildlearning

If the course you wish to attend is full or you cannot make the date, please let us know so that we can register your interest and let you know of opportunities planned for the future. You can contact us on: teamwilder@suffolkwildlifetrust.org or Tel: 01473 890 089.

If you are a community or individual already taking action for wildlife, please do tell us about it and get involved with Team Wilder. To find out more and log your action, visit the website here: https://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/team-wilder