Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

05th May 2021

Enjoy outdoor coastal art, let your lawn go wild for No Mow May, follow orchestral nature trails, take joy in the return of migratory birds! Plus drag queen bedtime stories and Brighton festival returns!

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

05th May 2021

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

05th May 2021

EVENT and DO World Migratory Bird Day
Saturday is World Migratory Bird Day, which this year has the theme of ‘bird song’ and ‘bird flight’; an invitation to people everywhere to connect and re-connect with nature by actively listening to – and watching birds – wherever they are. At the same time, everyone is encouraged to use their voices and creativity to express their shared appreciated on birds and nature. Why not go for a walk in the countryside and listen carefully to the birds you can hear, watching closely for any migratory birds returning to our shores or passing through. Find out which birds may be about here and find out how to use your bird spotting to contribute to Citizen Science projects here

EVENT The Brighton Festival
Every year, Brighton Festival pushes boundaries a little further. This year, the guest director is British and Ethiopian poet, Lemn Sissay, whose diverse, fun series of events was postponed last year. Many of this year’s fun takes place outside; follow nature trails, experience a city-wide storytelling experience about women usually hidden from history, or get drawn by a wall-drawing robot!

There are a series of events aimed at young readers; hear stories, join author chats, or take part in draw-alongs. Mainly ticketed, but there’s are plenty of free shows and happenings; find them here.

EVENT England’s Creative Coast
Could this be the largest exhibition ever to be held in the UK? This summer seven new outdoor artworks commissioned by England’s Creative Coast appear across the south east; Kent, Essex and Sussex. International artists including Holly Hendry, Jasleen Kaur, and Katrina Palmer will create large-scale, site-specific pieces that take the border between land and sea for their inspiration. Follow a standard self-guided trail across the counties, or play a giant, cross-country game as you move through the landscape, discovering the commissions, collecting geocaching rewards and hidden gems on your journey. The super-arty towns taking part are Margate (their piece is now live) Folkestone, Hastings, Bexhill-on-Sea, Eastbourne, Gravesend and Southend-on-Sea.

EVENT Children’s Book Week
Over in the USA, it’s Children’s Book Week. The event’s extensive archive of activities, downloadable bookmarks, lesson plans and resources are, of course, free to anyone to download. Find them here. To celebrate, Hull’s Back to Ours Festival has a series of bedtime stories read by one of our favourite drag artists, Le Gateau Chocolat. Watch them live or from the archive here (don’t miss his performance of the hilarious new book from Nadia Shireen, Barbara Throws a Wobbler)

DO Join No Mow May
Join in No Mow May! You literally have to do nothing. Let wildflowers bloom by leaving some lawn unmowed in May; five daisies, two dandelions and six buttercups supply enough nectar to keep a bee happy for one day. Then, between 23-31 May take part in Every Flower Counts by counting the number of flowers in a random square metre of your lawn. Enter your flower count here to get your lawn’s Personal Nectar Score and see how many bees it can support.

What we’ve been reading this week:

5-Minute Hacks To De-Stress And Find Instant Calm
“Stress can be a contributing factor to many illnesses, adds Barnes, so it’s important to learn how to control it. The good news is there are several techniques we can use in the moment – right when we’re feeling like the world is against us – than can help calm and ground us.

Here, Barnes shares three, five-minute hacks to use when you’re feeling overwhelmed with stress.”

Read more here

VEGETABLE GARDENING

We are looking for real-life stories of growing your own for our next print issue.

Are you a gardener? Do you have an allotment? Have you always gardened, or is it something you’ve taken up recently – perhaps over lockdown? How has it improved your life?
Perhaps it’s something you do as a family, across generations, or maybe it’s improved your mental health or well-being?

You might have set up a neighbourhood co-operative garden, or become an expert in permaculture.

Whether you’ve nurtured a few pots on your balcony, or managed total self-sufficiency, we’d love to hear from you.

Do get in touch [email protected]

Found something inspirational to read that you’d like to share? Want to share your lockdown creations with us? Have an idea for things to do? We’d love to hear from you. Email Kate

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