RESIDENTS joined nature experts and entertainers at Emersons Green Village Hall for this year’s Spring Gathering event.
Organised by the town council with South Gloucestershire Council’s Common Connections team and West of England Combined Authority, the free event in late February included music, dancing, exhibitions and stalls.
There was a buzzing atmosphere around stalls from local environmental initiatives including the Emersons Green and Warmley Community Nature Reserves and Litter Champions.
One of the busiest stalls was run by Dr Sam Bonnett from UWE Bristol, whose research into soil ‘eco-acoustics’ sparked plenty of curiosity.
Dr Bonnett explained to visitors how his team uses underground sound recordings to reveal details about soil health and biodiversity, and gave people the chance to listen to real soil-sound recordings.
Entertainment included a dance display by Winterbourn Down Border Morris and music from Mangotsfield Ukulele Jam.
Visitors were able to swap seeds and plants, pick up gardening tips from local experts, and take home a young tree to plant.
Children joined in wildflower planting near the library, and made ‘seed bombs’ to take home and grow.
Volunteers from the British Trust for Ornithology introduced their Garden BirdWatch scheme to record the birds and other wildlife that visit gardens, which is open to anyone to take part in: for more information visit www.bto.org/gbw.
There was a tree planting ceremony in nearby Emersons Green Park to mark the end of the Common Connections Programme, which has been run to build links between different wildlife-rich areas in the district, along with an indoor exhibition on the project.
The event was followed by a nature-themed comedy hour later the same evening, where stand-up comic Matt Hobs performed a version of his Edinburgh Fringe festival show 100% Badgers.