Birstall Youth Project

In April this year, CHI worked with the Positive Activities Youth Group in Birstall on a natural history project which focused on Watermead County Park and involved photography, making a web page, printing t-shirts and sculpture making.

The group of twelve boys aged from 11-13 years old joined a Country Park Ranger for a walk round Watermead which also included a bat walk. During the walk the group learnt about the natural history of the site and were lucky enough to meet a toad and see many of the birds that live at Watermead including cormorants and herons. The boys also learnt how to use bat detectors and saw pipistrelle bats flying. On a subsequent visit they took photographs of the park to use for future activities.

Working with Leicestershire Villages, the group made a web page which featured a presentation of the photographs they had taken as well as information about their walk and what they saw.

For the t-shirt making session,each of the participants were given a t-shirt and chose a photograph that they had taken at Watermead. By using print transfer and ironing the transfer, they all made their own customised T-shirts. This session proved to be one of the most popular with the group. The photographs used included ones of birds, trees, and the toad.

A community artist was also employed to help with the project and the group made a sculpture which was exhibited at the Watermead public event, 'Wildlife on your Doorstep' in May 2008. The sculpture was made with recycled material such as chicken wire, packaging, fabric and some of the photographs that the group had taken.

Comments from the group included:

"I liked the t-shirts the most because it isn't something you can do everyday."

"I liked taking pictures of the birds and animals around Watermead because it was fun and exciting to learn new birds."

"I liked walking around the water most and seeing the bats because it's different and I've never seen a bat before."