Growing up loving nature, one of my earliest memories was collecting minibeasts in bug pots in my grandma’s garden.  It was fascinating to see how many creatures you could find in such a small area of grass or shrub.  Those connections with nature shaped many of my life choices and without them I probably wouldn’t be doing what I am today.  For this reason I feel it is really important to connect kids with nature…

Here at RSPB St Aidan's we are very lucky to have a fabulous relationship with our tenant grazier who helps us manage important habitats for wildlife. Our current grazier is Jo Cartwright who is the proud owner of the amazing one hundred and sixty acre Swillington Organic farm adjacent to St Aidan's.

As our grazier we use Jo’s cattle and sheep to keep the grass height of the ridge and furrow area of the reserve…

My name’s Abbie and I’m the new Visitor Experience Officer for the Aire Valley – Fairburn Ings and St Aidan’s.  I’m responsible for making sure visitors get the most out of their visit, hold lots of events, plus get the message out about what amazing wildlife we have on the reserves and what we, the RSPB, are doing to help it thrive.

St Aidan's, David Botham

My first lone walk took…