Children learned all about their local wildlife at this year’s Biodiversity University
Friday 11 November 2022
The Mayor of Mid & East Antrim, Ald Noel Williams, has commended the Biodiversity University programme which ran from Monday 1 August – Friday 19 August.
Ald Williams said “Mid and East Antrim Borough Council hosted three weeks of Biodiversity University to inspire and galvanize the Borough’s young residents to discover more about the incredible species and habitats on their doorstep and how to help these through varied fun and environmental activities. The programme took place each weekday morning from Monday 1 to Friday 19 August 2022.”
“Biodiversity University completed its tenth successful year in Diamond Jubilee Wood Whitehead, Town Park, Larne and Ecos Nature Park, Ballymena. The Biodiversity University was free to attend and we are pleased to announce we again had many happy families attending.”
“Participants learnt all about our native wildlife such as birds, bugs and bees, built bird and insect homes, created natural art and learnt all about survival skills such as den making and how to forage for edibles.”
“We have had some fantastic feedback from participants so far and I’d like to thank everyone who came along, as well as our staff involved, and The Conservation Volunteers who helped to deliver the programme. Special thanks go to our sponsors Moy Park, for this year’s Biodiversity University.”
Alastair Robinson, Moy Park, said: “We are delighted to support the Biodiversity University, a fantastic initiative that is helping children and young people learn more about the natural world and the importance of protecting wildlife habitats.
Biodiversity plays a crucial role in our sustainability strategy at Moy Park and our commitment to reaching Net Zero by at least 2040. Earlier this year we kick-started a new biodiversity project with the planting of 350 trees on the grounds of our facility in Ballymena to maintain a more diverse ecosystem in the local area and offset carbon emissions."
Ald Williams concluded: "We are committed to protecting and promoting the biodiversity in the Borough 365 days a year and I would encourage everyone to get outdoors and enjoy our fantastic open spaces in the Borough, and our wide range of wildlife, first hand.”