Donkey Sanctuary launches first Wildlife Week

The Donkey Sanctuary is launching its first ever Wildlife Week to give the whole family a thrilling insight into the natural world from the unique vantage point of The Donkey Sanctuary.

Running from Sunday 27 July it coincides with the school holidays and culminates with a fascinating Wild Night Out nocturnal nature hunt on Saturday 2 August.

Wildlife Week events run daily from 11am to 3pm.

Highlights include daily bug hunts at 2pm, ‘wild’ face painting and craft sessions all day as well as nature explorer packs to pick up from the Visitors' Centre to plan adventures.

The week also heralds the re-opening of the Nature Centre where visitors can observe woodland birds, and there will be access to wild flower meadows which feed the charity’s first colony of bees and from which the Sanctuary has harvested honey for the first time this year.

Many of the events are led by the Sanctuary’s wildlife expert James Chubb.

James says: “We’re really excited about our first ever Wildlife Week. Every day will be packed with exciting opportunities for the whole family to learn about the natural environment. The Wild Night Out is going to be an amazing way for intrepid explorers to encounter bats, moths and possibly even glow worms here in the Weston Valley.

“We can’t wait to show visitors all that we have here. As well as looking after the donkeys we have an amazingly rich natural environment. It’s a fascinating place and we hope you’ll enjoy finding out more about it!”

The Wild Night Out which runs from 9pm-11pm on Saturday 2 August is charged at £10. Please book by calling 01395 573156 or emailing events@thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk

No booking is required for face painting, nature explorer packs and wild crafts. These run daily from 11am to 3pm during Wildlife Week and cost £3. The bug hunt runs daily from 2pm to 3pm. £1 donation.

Besides Wildlife Week activities the Sanctuary is running donkey grooming sessions daily throughout the school holidays from 11am to 3pm at a cost of £3 per session.