The month of October brings a special event in our calendar at RSPB Lakenheath Fen- our annual ‘Race for Wildlife’ which we have hosted now for many years. Picture above shows medals from the Race for Wildlife (the subject of the article) being handed out by our volunteer Darren at a busy and cheerful finish line (image from Lakenheath Fen). On the day we can have up to 180 guests here, travelling sometimes from quite a long distance away, to run or jog either a 5km or 10km route around the nature reserve. The routes cover really varied terrain, starting at the edge of Trial Wood and snaking through grassland and reedbeds, before joining the scenic riverbank footpath and winding back through woodland to the finish line.
I thought this month I’d write about our Race for Wildlife for those readers who might not have heard of it and may be interested in taking part; or who may know people who would be keen to come along. A key part of the event for us is that it’s family-friendly and open to everyone- regardless of the speed competitors run at. Youngsters are also welcome- we sell tickets for Under 16’s and every year we have a healthy number of young runners with us. Nearly all of our volunteer network gets involved with the event- from marshals stationed at regular points along the routes, to timekeepers with stopwatches at the finish line, to helping with checking in guests at the start of the event, helping to serve refreshments at the end, or even mowing the paths prior to the event.
Every finisher gets a medal, as a ‘thank-you’ from us for taking part, and the top three finishers in both the women’s and men’s 5km and 10km routes gets a special medal, handmade by our warden Emma. We also provide a banquet of handmade cakes as well as tea and coffee and cold drinks not far from the finish line! The perfect reward for your efforts!
The Race is ideal for anyone who loves running but wants to fundraise for wildlife at the same time- because all the profits from ticket sales go directly back into the reserve to fund conservation work here. Some of the money may go towards habitat restoration, repairing viewpoints or Mere Hide, improving the accessibility of the trails for less physically able visitors, or on survey work to monitor wildlife.
If you would like to read more about the event, or have any questions, you may like to have a look at our blog written specially for potential runners: Please click here
To book tickets, please click here or we can take bookings via payment through our till in the Visitor Centre (just pop in to see us) or if you have questions, you can give us a call on 01842 863400 (answered from 9am-5pm daily) or drop us an e-mail at lakenheath@rspb.org.uk.
With best wishes for the month ahead,
Heidi Jones (Visitor Experience Officer, RSPB Lakenheath Fen).
Events at RSPB Lakenheath Fen- September – December 2022
Places for all events need to be booked online- please visit events.rspb.org.uk/lakenheathfen to read more and book tickets.
Amazing Autumn guided walk
Join us for a seasonal wander around the reserve to take in autumn highlights- we will look for wading birds and ducks on the Washland, fungi in the woods and listen for migrant birds that have arrived to spend the winter with us. Autumn is full of changes for us to spot!
Saturday 29 October (10am to 1pm)
Price: RSPB members (£12 adults, £6 Under 16’s), non-RSPB members (£15 adults, £7.50 Under 16’s).
Raptors in the Reedbed winter guided walk
We will be hosting two guided walks this winter to look for birds of prey at dusk across the reserve- with luck we will see marsh harriers roosting in the reedbeds as well as barn owls, possibly merlin, peregrine and we should hear tawny owls too. Not to mention other winter delights such as whooper swans flying overhead too!
Sunday 11 December 2022 (1:30pm-4:30pm) (also Saturday 14 January 2023, 2pm-5pm).
Price: RSPB members (£12 adults, £6 Under 16’s), non-RSPB members (£15 adults, £7.50 Under 16’s).