Events 2023 - Friends of Mortimer Forest

Mortimer Forest Events

Scroll down to see upcoming events and activities...

The Friends of Mortimer Forest offer a range of nature focused walks, talks and activities for our members throughout the year. We hope that you enjoy the projects we are planning. If you have an area of expertise and would like to lead a future walk please contact us. Thank you to all who have contributed to the successful programme so far.

We advertise our guided walks and provide approximate timings and an indication of the level of ability needed for each walk. Please exercise your own judgement when joining the walks, they are of mixed ability, usually on woodland tracks on varied terrain. Please contact us in advance if you have any questions about walk ability or suitability.

November 2023

A guided walk in the Mortimer Forest with Tracker Al (trackeral.co.uk)

Join an animal tracking workshop in the forest, where Al will demonstrate how to identify a range of animal tracks and signs. These signs could range from deer tracks to badger latrines, bird song to animal sightings.

This will be a circular walk setting off from the Vinnalls Car Park at 10am. Find us off the Ludlow to Wigmore road, 2½ miles south-west of Ludlow (Grid ref: SO474731).

The route is suitable for good walkers, the terrain is mixed woodland and can be steep, the foraging may offer a short foray off the path if a mushroom is seen.

RSVP by email is required, limited capacity event.

For this walk you will need walking boots, waterproofs, snacks/water and optional camera/binocular, as it can get muddy and cold. Please dress appropriately for the weather. The group will be sticking to the forest paths, with some uphill and downhill walking.

This event is by voluntary donation, if you can bring £5 cash on the day that would be super, or you can make a donation via the charity Just Giving charity page in advance. We are happy with whatever people can afford given the time and planning from this event.

If you have any questions please contact us and RSVP with names and all attendees to: info@friends-of-mortimer-forest.org.uk

A guided walk in the Mortimer Forest with Tracker Al (trackeral.co.uk)

This will be a circular walk setting off from the Vinnalls Car Park at 10am. Find us off the Ludlow to Wigmore road, 2½ miles south-west of Ludlow (Grid ref: SO474731).

The route is suitable for good walkers, the terrain is mixed woodland and can be steep, the foraging may offer a short foray off the path if a mushroom is seen.

RSVP by email is required, limited capacity event.

If you have any questions please contact us and RSVP with names and all attendees to: info@friends-of-mortimer-forest.org.uk

October 2023

Autumn Photography Workshop in Mortimer Forest

The Friends of Mortimer Forest are co-hosting a photography event with local photographer Anderson Images. The class will take place on Saturday 14th October 2023, from 10am-4pm, with photographer and lecturer Brian Anderson.

The workshops will teach you to take creative and well composed photos of nature in the Mortimer Forest. The workshop is suitable for iPhone, tablet and digital camera users.

The workshop will be £40 per person, with a limited capacity, on a first come first served basis. We will be taking bookings and payment (BACS or cheque) in order to reserve your place, please emailing us at info@friends-of-mortimer-forest.org.uk, and provide your contact details and all attendee names. We will respond with payment information.

Please save the date and spread the word to anyone who is interested in photography and nature.

GUEST SPEAKER & PUBLIC MEETING – Rosemary Winnall and a charity update

The Friends of Mortimer Forest are hosting a public meeting (free to attend) at the Ludlow Methodist Church on Wednesday 11th October at 6pm for 7pm start.

You will hear from the charity about our plans for the coming weeks and months and have your say in the direction and aims for the future.

We are delighted to have a fantastic guest speaker, Rosemary Winnall (MBE, for services to the natural environment), a founding member of the Wyre Forest Discovery Centre.

Rosemary is an expert on woodland wildlife and ecology, and author of The Nature of Wyre. She was instrumental in the formation of the “Wyre Forest Study Group” an organisation that monitors wildlife in the Wyre Forest. She has worked closely with Forestry England on her projects, something the charity hopes to do the same locally.

FREE to attend. Tea and biscuits will be available from 6pm, talks from 7pm – we hope very much that you can join us. All are welcome, no RSVP required. If you have any questions please contact us: info@friends-of-mortimer-forest.org.uk

September 2023

Guided Walk on Fungi of the Forest – AT CAPACITY

Please join us for a woodland walk 30th September with Shropshire Wildlife Trust expert John Hughes.

This will be a circular walk setting off at 10am from the Vinnalls Car Park. Find us off the Ludlow to Wigmore road, 2½ miles south-west of Ludlow (Grid ref: SO474731). The terrain is mixed woodland and suitable for good walkers, some paths are steep and foraging may require a short foray off the track.

RSVP by email is required, limited capacity event (20 max).

Please bring outdoor clothing and walking boots.

If you have any questions please contact us and RSVP with names and all attendees to: info@friends-of-mortimer-forest.org.uk

August 2023

Family Guided Walk

More details to follow:

This will be a circular 2.5 hr walk setting off from the Vinnalls Car Park. Find us off the Ludlow to Wigmore road, 2½ miles south-west of Ludlow (Grid ref: SO474731).

Please bring outdoor clothing and walking boots. You may wish to bring binoculars, a snack and a drink.

RSVP by email is essential, limited capacity event (25 max).

All children attending the walk are the responsibility of the adult attending with them. Please exercise your own judgement if the walk is suitable for the children you bring, it is on mixed woodland terrain with some hills.

If you have any questions please contact us and RSVP with names and all attendees to: info@friends-of-mortimer-forest.org.uk

August Guided Walk

A guided walk looking at the nature of the Mortimer Forest with with David Arbuthnott, FOMF committee member, local naturalist & wildlife photographer.

This will be a circular walk setting off from the Vinnalls Car Park. Find us off the Ludlow to Wigmore road, 2½ miles south-west of Ludlow (Grid ref: SO474731).

The route is suitable for good walkers, the terrain is mixed woodland and can be steep.

Please bring outdoor clothing and walking boots. You may wish to bring binoculars, a snack and a drink.

RSVP by email is essential, limited capacity event (25 max).

If you have any questions please contact us and RSVP with names and all attendees to: info@friends-of-mortimer-forest.org.uk

July 2023

Summer Guided Walk

A guided walk looking at the nature of the Mortimer Forest with with David Arbuthnott, FOMF committee member, local naturalist & wildlife photographer.

This will be a circular walk setting off from the Vinnalls Car Park. Find us off the Ludlow to Wigmore road, 2½ miles south-west of Ludlow (Grid ref: SO474731).

The route is suitable for good walkers, the terrain is mixed woodland and can be steep.

Please bring outdoor clothing and walking boots. You may wish to bring binoculars, a snack and a drink.

RSVP by email is essential, limited capacity event (25 max).

If you have any questions please contact us and RSVP with names and all attendees to: info@friends-of-mortimer-forest.org.uk

Ludlow Green Festival

The Friends of Mortimer Forest will be attending the festival on Sunday 9th July 2023 from 10-4pm in Ludlow Castle Square.

Please save the date and come to meet fellow members, or find out about the charity and our work.

June 2023

The Festival of the Forest will return in June 2023

Following the success of last years event, The Festival of the Forest will be back on 11th June 2023, with a host of exhibitors, stalls, educational charities, practical workshops and food and drink.

This is a fun-filled day for all the family to enjoy and a celebration of the craft and beauty of the forest and traditional crafts.

If you would like to volunteer at the event, or to exhibit or sell your goods you can email us via the yellow button below to register your interest. We will then be in touch in due course with information about payment and the next steps.

There is still time to exhibit, sell or demonstrate at the festival, it is £15 per plot and required to bring a table, chair and optional overhead cover.

Visitors to the festival can park (for free) next to the Vinnalls Car Park and enter Monstay farm across the road. It is £5 on the door per adult and free for children under 12.

May 2023

All are welcome at St Mary’s Church, Elton on Sunday 14th May. You can attend the Sunday service and listen to a short 20-30 minute presentation by the chairman, Colin Richards, on his fascinating career and passion for building restoration and conservation.

April 2023

Early Birds – A Guided Walk with Dave Pearce at 5:30 AM to enjoy the dawn chorus in the Mortimer Forest.

This event is limited capacity so please email us with the names of all attendees via the button below. There is a voluntary donation of $5 per person to cover costs.

The walk is circular, setting off from Whitcliffe car park, Killhorse Lane, Shropshire, England (Grid ref: SO495740). Please bring clothing appropriate for the weather, good walking shoes for a woodland walk and optional refreshments and binoculars. As this is a wildlife focused walk we advice that dogs are not brought on this walk.

February 2023

PLEASE NOTE – WALK POSTPONED.

We will update this page in due course with the rescheduled date for this guided walk. The host Lorne Campbell of Forestry England is unable to host due to being unwell. We are sorry for any inconvenience and hope to have this back in the diary as soon as possible.

Forestry England Guided Walk on Mortimer Forest Management.

WALK NOW AT CAPACITY – please contact us if for any reason you are no longer able to make the walk and have confirmation of a place. We have a list of members who would be keen to attend.

Start time: 10:00 (approx. 2 hours)

Meeting Point: Vinnalls car park, Pipe Aston, Ludlow SY8 2HF

Guided walk topic: Forestry England management of Mortimer Forest with Lorne Campbell, Beat Forester for Mortimer Forest.

Visit our website for more information: www.friends-of-mortimer-forest.org.uk

Please save the date and spread the word to anyone who is interested in photography and nature. This event will also be promoted on our social media platforms.

January 2023

The Hazel Dormouse in Shropshire

An illustrated Evening with Sam Devine-Turner at the Ludlow Mascall Centre, Lower Galdeford Road, SY8 1RZ on the 12th January at 7:30pm (2h).

Sam is a member of the Shropshire Dormouse Group Committee, a group run by volunteers who monitor dormice under licence, contributing data to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species’ National Dormouse Monitoring Programme. They also carry out habitat management work to help restore natural habitat for dormice and other wildlife, and carry out training sessions to educate people about the necessity of protecting dormice from further decline. Sam also runs her own business offering Wildlife Education Sessions.

This is a continuation of the Survey session we held in Mortimer Forest last November and it is our intention to carry out more surveys and habitat restoration in 2023.

Refreshments will be severed. There is no need to book in advance, payment on the door can be made on the day