Bristol businesses urged to get involved in Festival of Nature
Bristol businesses are being urged to get involved in this year’s Festival of Nature with a whole host of activities created for them – including roundtables on biodiversity and creative industries, nature-focused team away days, outdoor sessions with the NHS and bell boat paddles in the harbour.
The organisers of the 21st annual Festival of Nature, the Natural History Consortium, say that it can often feel overwhelming, particularly for smaller businesses, to know how to improve their sustainability or make a more positive contribution to the natural world around them, so the programme has been designed to make it easy for them to take action.
Officially the UK’s biggest free celebration of the natural world, running from 1–9 June 2024 across Bristol and Bath, last year the festival saw over 20,000 visitors come along to enjoy the incredible array of activities.
Aiming to deliver the biggest and most diverse festival to date, organisers the Natural History Consortium have created a packed programme of over 70 events and activities, including wildlife walks, workshops and talks, green crafts, music, and exhibitions, and much more. Highlights include:
- Nature and business sector roundtables in Bristol Mon 3 June discussing creative industries, biodiversity net gain, and the business case for nature
- Book in for a team away day with a difference – reconnect and motivate in green spaces around Bristol, strengthening employee relationships whilst championing local community initiatives. Led by official NHS Green Social Prescribing practitioners.
- West of England Citizen Science Conference on Wed 5 June – explore what can be done in citizen science to create better data, improve science, and support the wider community through engaging workshops and insightful presentations.
- Plus a multitude of events spread across the week including family-friendly nature activities, music performances, nature walks, and the world’s smallest wildlife film festival, held in a tiny 1940s-style caravan cinema powered by renewable energy.
- Look out for appearances from a mermaid, CBeebies’ Andy Day, up-and-coming wildlife presenter Nadeem Perera and BBC Radio One’s medical expert Dr Radha Modgil.
- Bath’s grand high street, Milsom Street, will be ‘greened-up’ for the final weekend of the festival on Sat 8 June, with an exciting day of free family-friendly nature stalls, special guest talks and shows, drop-in interactive activities, storytelling, crafts and more.
- The last day, Sun 9 June, brings the festival’s first Community Day, celebrating the actions being taken by communities all across the two cities and beyond. A map of activities and locations will be available for people to get out and explore new community groups, gardens and goings-on.
Savita Willmott, chief executive of the Natural History Consortium, said: “We really wanted to give businesses a space at the festival to network with like-minded people, share knowledge about working alongside and supporting nature – we’re delighted to announce this year’s professional programme which should give local businesses plenty of food for thought and give them the tools and confidence to take action where they can.
“As the biggest nature festival in the UK it really does offer something for everyone – young, old, visitors, students, residents, businesses – and the majority of it is free. We want to see more people than ever come along to be inspired, try something new, visit a place they haven’t been to before and get involved with an environmental project.”
Most of the events throughout the festival are completely free, and audiences can tune in from anywhere in the world to any of the events taking place online.
