11 December 2009, Friday
From young acorns…
A programme of Forest Schools environmental education is under way within the borough of Hastings. Pupils of Dudley Infants School are one of the first groups to be taken by members of the Excellence Cluster.
During the sessions the children become familiar with a certain site and are taught some basic woodland skills and crafts in a fun and imaginative way. They get to experience nature first hand, taking time to study the wildlife and beauty around them. Its great fun and builds confidence in young people with a series of set tasks that are achievable and encourage children to interact and work as part of a team.
If you would like more information about Forest Schools in the area or if your school is interested in environmental education contact rangers@hastings.gov.uk or Katharine Slater of the Excellence Cluster Tel: 01424 439340.
Filed Under: Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve
Posted by: Stuart Alexander Hasting Council Ranger
26 November 2009, Thursday
A Walk on the Wild side
Well a slightly wild walk in the less well known areas of Alexandra Park and beyond.
Every one who visits the 120 acres called Alexandra Park gets to know the more manicured and well used lower areas first. This event is structured to allow people to visit sites restricted to the public and the less well trod parts of the Park. This walk in mid November encompassed the mainly northern sections and Old Roar Gill.
We saw cormorants, conservation areas, turtle catching equipment, the roots of the rare Toothwort plant, the largest trees in the park (the Railway Poplar’s) and the effects of storm damage.
The group discussed Health and Safety issues covered the historic aspects of the site and the expenditure, time and effort the Council put into the upkeep of our green spaces.
We started at Clarence Road, moved towards Harmers Reservoir and onto Vale Road then into Old Roar Gill a beautiful Local Nature Reserve. The group pushed onto the ‘Old Roar’ the largest waterfall in the area then reappeared at the main road only to plunge back into the darkness of Coronation Woods.
We finished up passing Buckshole Reservoir an old favourite with smugglers (so they say) and sweeping around back to where we started. All in all, a very good day, even though it had rained heavily in the morning just before the event.
Filed Under: General
Posted by: Stuart Alexander Hasting Council Ranger
15 October 2009, Thursday
Website Update
We apologise for the lack of updates to the sightings, news and events sections of this website over the last couple of months. This was due to a technical issue that has now been resolved and the website should be back to normal service in the near future.
Please continue adding sightings via the submit a sighting form as these sightings are a very valuable addition to the content of this website. These sightings though may not appear in the sightings section as quickly as before so you may have to wait a couple of days before they appear after being submitted.
Filed Under: General
Posted by: Andy Phillips
09 June 2009, Tuesday
Alexandra Park Family Fun Trail
The fourth weekend in May saw the summer start, glorious sun greeting a stream of families keen to complete the Rangers hidden trail around the lower section of Alexandra Park.
The families had to navigate their way around the park and discover facts and secrets that they never knew existed. Once completed the children could collect a small prize and make a bug house to take home with them.
Filed Under: General
Posted by: Stuart Alexander
13 May 2009, Wednesday
Coastal grassland restoration at Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve
The recent work in Warren Glen to remove gorse, bracken and bracken litter may seem drastic but the results can be even more spectacular. Take a look at this video clip of an area of Warren Glen that was scraped a couple of years ago, now a colourful example of coastal cliff-top grassland.
The work to restore cliff-top grassland and heathland at Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve has been funded by Natural England.
Filed Under: Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve
Posted by: Andy Phillips