“At the age of seventeen, I was diagnosed with an illness (M.E) that forced me to stop doing many of the things I loved. I was completely stuck at home. It was during this time that the natural world became most valuable to me. I started to think of my garden in a new way – for a time the joys of the common species were all I could enjoy.
When I was able to get out, I appreciated the range of wildlife so much more.
These past four years have strengthened my connection to nature more than ever before.
Inclusive access to nature is crucial to millions. Accessibility does not have to be at the expense of wildlife or biodiversity. Minsmere caters for individuals with a variety of access requirements However we are able to access nature, our personal connections and stories are valid and important.”
We have a special guest blog from the fantastic Elizabeth Guntrip- a young writer and naturalist. She co-created #WildlifeFromMyWindow with BBC Springwatch, an initiative celebrating people’s daily connection with nature, and spoke about this and the access features of Minsmere on Springwatch Extra. Twitter @lizzieguntrip.
Path to Minsmere By Elizabeth Guntrip
“My interest in the natural world started at an early age. I grew up in the South of London and most of my nature experiences originated in urban environments. I remember finding a stag beetle in our garden once, very exciting, but usually I was content with collecting snails, feeding the birds or bothering tadpoles. Even then I was keen to share my interest with my sister, my friends and classmates – I wanted everyone to experience the joys of nature. This is still my mantra today.
In 2011, at the age of seventeen, I was diagnosed with an illness that forced me to stop doing many of the things I loved. Myalgic encephalomyelitis in its severest form can make people housebound or bedbound for months or years at a time. For me, at first, I was completely stuck at home. Then as I became a little better, I needed accessible facilities in order to be outside.
It was during this time that the natural world became most valuable to me. My garden and the reserves I was able to visit became anchors to time and place and being. I started to think of my garden in a new way – for a time the joys of the common species were all I could enjoy – I looked more closely until I felt I was seeing them anew. When I was able to get out, I appreciated the range of wildlife so much more.
Across the country, hundreds of thousands of people find themselves housebound or with limited mobility: there are 291,000 people living in care homes and 250,000 people with myaglic encephalomyelitis (anecdotal evidence suggests this disease, shortened to M.E., maybe one of the most common causes of people being housebound). Nationally, the most often reported impairments are those affecting mobility (as well as lifting or carrying) and there are 1.2 million wheelchair users in the UK. Inclusive access to nature is crucial to millions.
Happily, organizations like RSPB Minsmere and BBC Springwatch are working to help. A year ago I started working with Springwatch, to celebrate inclusive nature, looking at how nature uplifts and inspires all of us, whatever our life stories. We created an initiative called Wildlife From My Window, launched in May this year, with the aim of celebrating people’s daily connection with nature. I also went up to Minsmere to test out the facilities and do a feature on access.
Minsmere is incredible: a landscape both vast and diverse, both well-managed and beautiful. With only 20 minutes of walking, I was able to reach the reedbed, the woodland, the scrape, the heath and the café – and being able to easily access all these different environments was brilliant.
Accessibility does not have to be at the expense of wildlife or biodiversity. Minsmere caters for individuals with a variety of access requirements; it is also home to some of the UK’s rarest species. At the North Wall, for example, where the smooth, flat path is raised in line with the tops of the reeds, wheelchair users or those resting on the benches have equally great views of all the wildlife. I saw the famous beardies from here. (LIFER!) From the wheelchair-friendly North hide I saw hobby, marsh harrier, avocet and much more.
The Minsmere staff and volunteers have been amazing throughout. Everyone is so friendly, so professional, so willing to help. Thank you all.
These past four years have strengthened my connection to nature more than ever before, and talking about #WidlifeFromMyWindow and going to Minsmere has inspired me. Seeing so many people passionate about wildlife, and hearing about how nature uplifts them is incredible. However we are able to access nature, our personal connections and stories are valid and important.”
Elizabeth Guntrip is a young writer and naturalist. She co-created #WildlifeFromMyWindow with BBC Springwatch, an initiative celebrating people’s daily connection with nature, and spoke about this and the access features of Minsmere on Springwatch Extra. Twitter @lizzieguntrip