Celebrate our wildlife and discover Coventry’s hidden nature with Wildlife Gathering on World Bee Day (Friday 20 May), International Tea Day (Saturday 21 May) and International Day for Biodiversity (Sunday 22 May).
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE AND MAP (3MB)
Commissioned by Coventry City of Culture as part of the #GreenFutures programme in partnership with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Coventry's myriad of parks and green spaces will be celebrated with activities taking place across the city, from Spon End, to Coventry’s heritage park.
Families are invited to take part in community instigated ‘bee and tea’ parties; work with an artist to create their own habitat for animals in their garden (from hedgehog sanctuary to bird boxes); explore local walking trails and engage in an array of arts and crafts, or simply enjoy a picnic and appreciate the environment around them, exploring the hidden green spaces scattered across the city.
Connect with your local nature with Wildlife Gathering.
Expect a trail of the unexpected on this walking tour from Talking Birds, where you can tune in to some of the secrets of Spon End, one of Coventry's oldest neighbourhoods, in the company of our friendly guide, Herbert Cleaver. The route is ramp accessible. Refreshments will be served after the tour.
Discover the hidden animals, birds, insects and plants that inhabit our City - brought to life in living moss murals. Artist Mosstika’s playful living creations are hidden around the ring road, linking vital green spaces and pocket parks along the 1 mile trail.
Pick up a spotter’s guide and see if you can find the rare Bechstein Bat, Peregrine Falcon and Otters as you go.
Celebrating World Bee Day Friday 20 May.
Connect to the natural world and uncover Coventry’s urban nature with this free foraging and folklore walk – with storyteller Pyn Stockman and local forager John Noble
Come and engage in conversation with the Grapevine team to understand ways of combating isolation and marginalisation in Coventry.
Come and join the Wild Earth Allotment on World Bee Day and learn more about how you can play a part in helping bees.
From 11am - 2pm drop by and join in planting pollinator friendly plants and spend time in nature at our lovely allotment space. This event is FREE but advanced booking is essential to secure your place.
Have your say!
Come along for a BBQ and consult on the new green spaces for our community - a new wildlife garden, new wildlife space, an allotment teaching area and community orchard.
In this installation of hives each one hides a unique, unexpected interior world. You may find yourself looking into the vastness of space, or teased by a telescopic hive soaring into the air.
You can find The Bees by Artizani in Broadgate on Friday 20th from 12-3pm and in Upper Precinct on Saturday 21st from 12-3pm. This is Free to attend, drop in any time.
As part of Green Futures Wildlife Gathering, we’ll be present in the space, discussing our plans for the garden, going into detail about what we’re cultivating and what medicinal value they serve all while brewing delicious herbal teas that have been sourced either from our CV5 site or the new Garden we’re installing.
As part of Green Futures Wildlife Gathering, Food Union will be opening its gates for everyone to visit our city allotment and learn more about how we manage our food growing hub for The Pod café.
Join the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Education Team for a free brilliant bug hunt this May to celebrate Coventry City of Culture.
Join the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Education Team for free a dip in the pond this May to celebrate Coventry City of Culture.
Bring your family along to learn about the importance of bees to our everyday lives; plant wildflowers along an important pollinator habitat, and help our Ecologists build a bug hotel for our Honeybees to use.
The second Days of Doing celebrates our visible and accessible green spaces in the heart of the Wood End, Bell Green and Henley Green community.
There will be 6 activity zones set up in the park for everyone to engage with and all aspects of the event will be free to everyone attending.
Expect a trail of the unexpected on this walking tour from Talking Birds, where you can tune in to some of the secrets of Spon End, one of Coventry's oldest neighbourhoods, in the company of our friendly guide, Herbert Cleaver. The route is ramp accessible. Refreshments will be served after the tour.
Come and explore the wildlife of Spon End.
Download your FREE map and activity book and make Time for Nature!
Discover the hidden animals, birds, insects and plants that inhabit our City - brought to life in living moss murals. Artist Mosstika’s playful living creations are hidden around the ring road, linking vital green spaces and pocket parks along the 1 mile trail.
Pick up a spotter’s guide and see if you can find the rare Bechstein Bat, Peregrine Falcon and Otters as you go.
Fun, interactive and featuring original songs, Animals! is an empowering and uplifting performance about animals, humans and nature.
It celebrates the amazing wildlife around us and makes big things feel possible.
As part of Wildlife Gathering, discover the hidden Medieval garden behind The Weaver's House.
The ground floor of the house will be open for visitors to to take a peek inside and a ‘Rub-a-Bug’ colouring activity trail for children will be available.
As part of Wildlife Gathering, come and see the beautiful Peace Orchard at Coundon Hall Park.
Meet some of the volunteers who will be on hand to chat about the history of the place and how we connect art and nature in these surroundings.
Pyn is a performance storyteller and works in a wide variety of settings -libraries, bookshops, story-telling cafes, festivals, woodlands, heritage sites and online as well as more traditional performance spaces.
Come along to the Walled Garden at Allesley Park.
Wander around the garden spotting wildflowers and bugs and try out some traditional lawn games. Visit the pavilion and learn about its history and explore the Orchard and maybe even sponsor a tree!
Come along and join in a litter pick with local residents and help in planting the Victorian Rockery in Gosford Park. Volunteers will also give a talk on the history and recent developments of the area.
Come along and explore Holbrooks Park.
Have a look at historical photographs of the park at Holbrooks Community Care Association and then help keep our green space tidy by taking part in a community litter pick.
Lie down with us in solidarity to those who need resting spaces and join us in making Coventry the UK’s first Restful City.
Join us for a free family day of cultural integration, education and entertainment. House of Emanuels C.I.Cs brings the cultural traditions of East Africa and Coventry’s traditions to Primrose Park in a family friendly exchange of sports, games, food, poetry, art, music.
St Marks Church are organising a fun day in the community to Celebrate Swanswell Park, come and celebrate the diverse community and local area with a fun day for all the family.
Enjoy free food and drink, activities for kids, live music and a juggling show and workshop from Ben the Juggler!
Learn about Companion Planting – Plant vegetables and flowers together to grow in harmony without pesticides. Birds, bees, butterflies and insects will love you for it.
Now that the sunshine is roaring back into our lives, come along to Coventry’s Edgwick Park for an open air screening of Disney’s animated family classic The Lion King as part of the Green Futures programme.
Join us for a Creative Kindness Crafts session where you can make simple crafts with a positive message at the Oasis Café at 10am or 1pm on Saturday and Sunday as part of the Wildlife Gathering weekend.
In this installation of hives each one hides a unique, unexpected interior world. You may find yourself looking into the vastness of space, or teased by a telescopic hive soaring into the air.
You can find The Bees by Artizani in Broadgate on Friday 20th from 12-3pm and in Upper Precinct on Saturday 21st from 12-3pm. This is Free to attend, drop in any time.
Sound Seat is a sensory sculpture created for Coventry's War Memorial Park by artists Rosie Tee & Bryony Simcox.
Inspired by natural forms and Coventry's green soundscape, this musical destination in the Sensory Garden aims to bring communities together and combat loneliness.
Uncover the past as we delve into the natural heritage stories of Charterhouse, one of only nine Carthusian monasteries in the country. Discover the future as we share our plans for Coventry's new Heritage park.
Meander the walled garden, listen to live music, have a go at heritage crafts and enjoy free street theatre with a picnic.
Come and explore the wildlife of Spon End.
Download your FREE map and activity book and make Time for Nature!
Join Ian Jelley, Director of Living Landscapes at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust for an introduction to ecology.
This online session will explore the fundamental principles that guide how our natural world interacts with each other, why we need to manage spaces for nature and the role rewilding can play in the future of nature conservation.
Discover the hidden animals, birds, insects and plants that inhabit our City - brought to life in living moss murals. Artist Mosstika’s playful living creations are hidden around the ring road, linking vital green spaces and pocket parks along the 1 mile trail.
Pick up a spotter’s guide and see if you can find the rare Bechstein Bat, Peregrine Falcon and Otters as you go.
As part of Wildlife Gathering, discover the hidden Medieval garden behind The Weaver's House.
The ground floor of the house will be open for visitors to to take a peek inside and a ‘Rub-a-Bug’ colouring activity trail for children will be available.
Join local artist Emily Doyle to create some botanical bunting to dress the Sensory Garden in the War Memorial Park.
Gather wildflowers and greenery from the park, create your composition, and then print your design onto fabric using the early photographic method of cyanotyping or "sun-printing". Come and explore printmaking techniques and work with foraged materials.
Come and join the Art Riot Collective for a walk in nature.
Let’s gather together to create a piece of art that reflects our connection and experience with nature using natural objects, charcoal and inks.
Join us for a Creative Kindness Crafts session where you can make simple crafts with a positive message at the Oasis Café at 10am or 1pm on Saturday and Sunday as part of the Wildlife Gathering weekend.
Come along and become a musician in the Edible Orchestra and create your own instrument to make music with!
The London Vegetable Orchestra play and make instruments out of vegetables. Their repertoire includes classics from all genres with a fresh twist, such as "In the food", Neil Diamond's "Swede Caroline" and of course the Ben E. King hit "Stand by Pea".
Team Wilder
If you’re part of an organisation or a group and want to make space for nature or would like to encourage more people to be on nature’s side, then you could be eligible for a #TeamWilder community grant.
Funded by Coventry City of Culture Trust and administered by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, #TeamWilder community grants of between £500 and £2000 are available to be used as a catalyst for change in your community.
