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Get the buzz at #MFoN

Heaton Park will be a hive of activity on Saturday 29 June when the Manchester Festival of Nature (#MFoN) creates a massive buzz.

Part of #MFoN will be an attempt on a new World Record for the most people dressed as bees anywhere on the planet.

There will be big bees, small bees, bee families, bees from businesses, pub bees, community bees and people just wearing black and yellow jumpers, from all corners of Manchester.

They can arrive at Heaton Park on the bee tram, which will be running along that route of the Metrolink on the 29th.

And anyone can join the swarm, knowing that they will be highlighting the plight of our wonderful pollinating insects, which are fighting to survive as the climate changes.

A red mason bee feeding from blue wildflowers

Penny Frith

#MFoN committee member Alan Wright said: “Bees and other insects are part of the circle of life, pollinating plants and crops, controlling pests and providing food for larger creatures.

“While dressing up as a bee is a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon, it also carries that message that we need to stop their decline right now. The situation is critical and we need to act before other species become extinct.”

Manchester Festival of Nature will be an opportunity for people to get involved in a number of interesting activities but, at the same time, learn about the environment and how the top conservation bodies are working to help wildlife on their doorsteps.

Lancashire Wildlife Trust's Alan Wright in his bee costume for MFoN

Photo: Ellie Sherlock

The biggest groups in nature conservation have already pledged to be there - The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, RSPB, National Trust, City of Trees, The Conservation Volunteers, Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Canal & River Trust, Action for Conservation, Sustrans, Chester Zoo, Manchester Museum, and Manchester Metropolitan University along with Manchester City Council and its Heaton Park team.

Community and volunteering groups are expected to attend too, offering an insight into the amazing work they do. Every stall will have activities for visitors and there will be plenty to do for both young and old.

Activities planned so far include performances bringing to life the enchanting book 'The Lost Words', by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. There will also be a visit by the Bogtastic Van, giving people a real feeling of what life is like on the moors.

There will be bushcraft, forest school skills, natural crafts, ecotherapy, wildflower planting, building a bug hotel, woodland walks, tree and plant identification, den building and a chance to enter a bog.

Alan, who is Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s Communications Manager, said: “Organisations in conservation are putting a lot of resources and love into telling the people of Manchester just how lucky they are to have such wonderful wildlife on their doorsteps.

“This will be a huge opportunity to showcase just how important wildlife is in the city. The event will have a bee-theme and it will be a hive of activity, with families getting involved in all sorts of activities from guided walks to bushcraft to mindfulness.”

Join in the conversation on social media by following #MFoN. You can support #MFoN by raising money for this and future festivals, helping us make them as creative, inspiring and exciting as can be. Click the button below.

Help fund #MFoN

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