What do a giant snake, a doggy agility course, and high-pitched squeaking have in common?
If you guessed “an overnight camp with Froglife” you would be right!
Peterborough-based families took part in a wildlife-themed sleep-out at Ferry Meadows over the summer holidays as part of Froglife’s Green Pathways project. The project supports disadvantaged young people to volunteer, learn about, and enjoy green spaces in and around the city, and is partly-funded by BBC Children in Need.
Froglife’s mascot Serenity, a huge soft-toy grass snake, joined in a wildlife challenge trail, got sat on in the evening whilst listening to a bat detector, and even slept in a tent to keep its occupant company.
Serenity hissed: “the instructions said it was a ‘one man’ tent, it didn’t say anything about snakes so I just sneaked in.”
Participants also set up a moth trap, paddled in the lake in wellies to pond-dip, climbed trees and went on a nature walk.
Froglife’s Conservation Youth Worker said “Many of the children had never camped out before, so this was a great opportunity for them. They all went away fired up about the outdoors, and with lots of new facts about wildlife.”
This valuable experience for our community’s most vulnerable children could not have happened without dedicated volunteer support and donations. If you are interested in donating your time or money to this fantastic project, please contact Rebecca Neal on rebecca.neal@froglife.org 01733 602102. See more about this project at www.froglife.org/what-we-do/green-pathways/