This Wales half term (29 May – 02 June), the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Machynlleth is hosting a series of free family-friendly activities — designed to help give CAT a better understanding of the wildlife inhabited there.
Badged as CAT’s ‘Big Nature Count’, the event series invites visitors to count and identify moths, birds and everything in-between in the woodland, gardens, meadows and ponds — with all data contributing to national wildlife recording databases.
Visitors can head over to Big Nature Count HQ to collect their wildlife exploring gear, such as magnifying glasses and quadrats, before heading out on their adventure.
Families will also be encouraged to get hands-on with a variety of activities taking place every day – starting with a moth release and morning bird walk and ending with a nature round up. Extra events focusing on different species will take place on different days throughout the week.
Visitors can also explore the site, learning more about CAT’s history, seeing real-life examples of renewable energy sources and sustainable building on-site site — and discovering CAT’s water systems which are all naturally managed from the nearby reservoir.
Head of the Eco Centre at CAT, John Challen, said: “With such a wide variety of habitats at the Centre, combined with our team of on-hand experts, there’s so much to learn about on a day out at CAT.
“The Big Nature Count will give families a great opportunity to take part in a fun, educational day out, that will contribute to real ecological studies and benefit researchers for years to come.”
All events are included within the price of a CAT entry ticket and don’t require pre-booking — however visitors are strongly advised to visit the CAT website to check information about specific events before visiting.
