Walks and bat-box making among March nature events

A range of free events inviting people to enjoy nature while meeting others from their local communities are taking place across the West Midlands in March.

Activities include gardening, planting trees and restoring wildlife habitats. They are being hosted by 13 community groups awarded a share of £30,000 from West Midland mayor Richard Parker's Nature Call to Action Campaign.

In Coventry, volunteers are creating a community orchard at The People's Patch and improving a food growing area at John White Community Centre.

This Sunday, and on 22 March, people can join a "wellbeing walk" between the two sites and gardening.

Parker said of the March events: "This is a chance to step outside, get some fresh air, meet other people, and enjoy green spaces right on your doorstep – places you might not even realise are there."

The community centre in Binley also holds gardening and crafts from 12:30 to 14:30 GMT on Wednesdays.

The People's Patch, which was created on disused space at the Alan Higgs Leisure Centre, invited volunteers to help plant its orchard from 10:00 to 15:00 on Thursdays.

Jyan Dutton, community and environment project officer for the site, which is run by Groundwork West Midlands, said £4,500 from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) helped it improve "access to local green space for both people and nature".

The projects attracted volunteers of all ages, including young people who have gained skills to pursue new careers and retired people, as well as providing an outdoor space, he said.

"A lot of people in the city don't have access to a private green or garden," he said.

He added he was passionate about connecting people with nature.

"There are fantastic green spaces in the city when we find them, and people have told me 'it's really peaceful sat outside here with the birds'.

"The main aim is to connect people to nature. It's great when you show people what's already out there."

Meanwhile, in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, six "wild workshops" are being held, including sessions for families, at Gatis Community Space, throughout March.

The workshops include improving wildlife habitats, installing bird and bat boxes and planting.

The space, set up in the grounds of the old Courtaulds factory, includes gardens where wildlife can flourish.

Managers said volunteers had transformed the space over several years and created features for children including an outdoor classroom, water play area and a mud pit kitchen.

Elsewhere, Warley Woods Community Trust in Smethwick said the WMCA funding helped it introduce hazel trees, a species currently scarce in its woodland, and native woodland plants.

It is seeking volunteers on 20 and 21 March to help with planting in an underused area of the woods.

Douglas Barber, from the trust, said its Roots and Shoots project will bring members of the community together "while helping us move closer to establishing a thriving, traditionally managed woodland, abundant with wildlife".

Around Stourbridge and Lye, the Severn Rivers Trust is recruiting volunteers to survey the river Stour on 16 and 21 March. The aim is to support work to reduce river pollution.

In Walsall, the Lifegate Outreach Centre is also holding events, which include basic horticulture training and compositing activities on 14 March and a clean-up of Green Lane Park on the 28th.

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