Festival of Nature returns to Milton Keynes this month with fun for all the family

Milton Keynes Festival of Nature is back for the fifth year with a jam-packed programme of activities.

The festival will run from Saturday June 26 until Tuesday July 7 and and will see a host of different themed events and activities to inspire people to get closer to the natural world.

Organised by The Parks Trust, the activities include family nature walks, wildlife walks, a bat and glow worm night, bug hunting, pond dipping and even an official Otter Spotting Workshop.

The highlight will be Nature Day, to be held at Howe Park Wood on Saturday July 3 from11am to 4pm.

"It is always a fantastic chance to get up close to nature and find out how to help wildlife in your home. Join in with the bug hunting and pond dipping, join a guided walk of the ancient woodland and visit the nature stalls which will be full of activity and information," said a Parks Trust spokesman.

The festival programme is put on partners, UK Astronomy who are hosting an online Asteroid talk; MK Natural History who will be hosting a Bat and Glow Worm night and Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust who will be offering online resources helping people to discover the natural world at home.

New festival partner Wild Tribe will be organising online storytelling from the author of the number one children’s book series on ocean plastics and climate change “Wild Tribe Heroes”.

All events and activities are ticketed and many are free or low cost. They can be booked online now at www.theparkstrust.com/mkfon .

The Parks Trust is an independent charity that cares for over 6,000 acres of parkland

and green space in Milton Keynes. This includes the river valleys, ancient woodlands, lakesides, parks and landscaped areas alongside the main roads, all of which make the city such a great place to live, work and visit.

Approximately 40% of the Milton Keynes is greenspace and around 25% of this land is managed by The Parks Trust.

In addition to parkland, the trust takes care of the landscaping along the main grid roads – 80 miles of trees, shrubs and flowers.