Lilleshall National Sports and Conferencing Centre opens free family nature trail designed with Blue Peter wildlife expert
Published: 13 Jul 2017
Lilleshall National Sports and Conference centre this weekend launched a free family nature trail designed in collaboration with Scott Adams, the resident wildlife expert on the BBC’s flagship children’s TV programme Blue Peter.
Lilleshall National Sports and Conference centre this weekend launched a free family nature trail designed in collaboration with Scott Adams, the resident wildlife expert on the BBC’s flagship children’s TV programme Blue Peter.
The mile long nature trail is made up of animal sculptures and over 100 colourful boards providing educational information and fun facts about all the animals and insects found in the local area. With content designed to suit a range of different age groups, the trail is set to become a go-to destination for families, local schools and youth groups.
Scott Adams officially opened the trail at a launch event on Saturday where visitors were given the chance to come face-to-face with a range of live animals, including a barn owl, peregrine falcon, giant snail and venomous cane toad. The event came as part of the Lilleshall’s Summer Festival, where visitors also had the chance to sample Lilleshall’s world-class sports facilities and try their hand at a range of sports from archery to gymnastics.
The idea for the trail was developed to align with Sport England’s ‘Towards an Active Nation’ strategy, which encourages people to get active outdoors through other activities as well as through sport. It is hoped that the trail will encourage more people in the local community to visit Lilleshall Sports and Conference Centre to make use of the top-quality facilities and enjoy its spectacular natural setting.
Read moreSteve Nelson, Serco Partnership Director said: “The new nature trail offers fantastic fun for the whole family and is jam-packed with amazing wildlife facts and impressive sculptures. I’d like to thank Scott Adams and the whole Lilleshall team for the enormous energy they have poured into the project and it is brilliant to see the idea become a reality. I’d encourage local families to come and pay us a visit and see everything we have to offer here at the Lilleshall.”
Originally built in 1831 as the hunting lodge and family retreat of the Duke of Sutherland, Lilleshall National Sports and Conferencing Centre is a flagship residential training centre and award-winning National Centre of Excellence for many of the UK's top sportsmen and women.
Athletes who trained at Lilleshall successfully brought home an incredible 13 medals from the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including Gymnasts Kristian Thomas (silver) and Bryony Page (bronze) and Para-archer John Walker (double gold).
Managed by Serco on behalf of Sport England, the Centre is the home of a range of National Governing bodies including the English Institute of Sport, Archery GB and British Gymnastics.
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