The Donkey Sanctuary will be a part of Sidmouth’s first Biodiversity Festival and will hold two events hosted by our Ecology and Conservation team.
The festival, which runs from Monday 5 June to Sunday 11 June 2023, features a week of wildlife-themed talks, guided walks and children’s activities around the Sid Valley.
Organised by the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group, the festival aims to inspire and inform people about the rich diversity of wildlife in the valley, and the importance of taking steps to increase biodiversity. Events are free, but tickets should be booked in advance on the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group website.
On Thursday 8 June, we will hold a Botany Walk through our grasslands in the stunning Weston Valley at our Sidmouth sanctuary. Our donkeys share the valley with dozens of native plant species, including pignut, birds-foot trefoil, vetches, black knapweed, meadow vetchling and common-spotted orchid, and guided by our Ecology and Conservation colleagues, visitors will be encouraged to see how many they can spot.
Our resident donkeys have helped some of the rarer plants flourish in this area, as they eat a wide variety of plants and happily take out the coarser and more dominant species that might otherwise shade out or outcompete herbs and fine grasses.
On Sunday 11 June, and the final day of the festival, visitors will be able to join in our Wildlife Bingo walk. The walk will include a tour around our wildflower plots, permanent grassland and skylark bank, and look out for wildlife to tick off their bingo sheets.
Pascal Bisson, Apprentice Ecology and Conservation Officer, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to the sanctuary as part of the Biodiversity Festival, and hope they get to appreciate the amazing wildlife that the sanctuary has to offer.”
For more information and to book tickets for all the weeks events, including those held at The Donkey Sanctuary, please visit Sidmouth Biodiversity Festival.
