1Hello,
2I'm delighted to welcome you to our Wildlife Club,
3and very pleased that you're interested in the countryside
4and the plants and creatures of this area.
5I think you'll be surprised at the variety we have here,
6even though we're not far from London.
7I'll start by telling you about some of the parks and open spaces nearby.
8One very pleasant place is Halland Common.
9This has been public land for hundreds of years,
10and what you'll find interesting is that the River Ouse, which flows into the sea eighty kilometres away,
11has its source in the common.
12There's an information board about the plants and animals you can see here,
13and by the way, the common is accessible 24 hours a day.
14Then there's Holt Island, which is noted for its great range of trees.
15In the past willows were grown here commercially for basket-making,
16and this ancient craft has recently been reintroduced.
17The island is only open to the public from Friday to Sunday,
18because it's quite small,
19and if there were people around every day, much of the wildlife would keep away.
20From there it's just a short walk across the bridge to Longfield Country Park.
21Longfield has a modern replica of a farm from over two thousand years ago.
22Children's activities are often arranged there, like bread-making and face-painting.
23The park is only open during daylight hours, so bear that in mind if you decide to go there.
24Longfield Park has a programme of activities throughout the year,
25and to give you a sample, this is what's happening in the next few days.
26On Monday you can learn about herbs, and how they've been used over the centuries.
27You'll start with a tour of our herb garden,
28practise the technique of using them as colour dyes for cloth,
29and listen to an illustrated talk about their use in cooking and medicine.
30Then on Wednesday you can join local experts to discover the variety of insects and birds that appear in the evening.
31We keep to a small number of people in the group,
32so if you want to go, you'll need to phone the park ranger a few days ahead.
33There's a small charge, which you should pay when you turn up.
34I'm sure you're all keen to help with the practical task of looking after the park,
35so on Saturday you can join a working party.
36You'll have a choice of all sorts of activities, from planting hedges to picking up litter,
37so you'll be able to change from one to another when you feel like it.
38The rangers will be hard at work all day,
39but do come and join in, even for just a short while.
40One thing, though, is to make sure you're wearing something that you don't mind getting dirty or torn.
41And finally I'd like to tell you about our new wildlife area, Hinchingbrooke Park,
42which will be opened to the public next month.
43This slide doesn't really indicate how big it is,
44but anyway, you can see the two gates into the park, and the main paths.
45As you can see, there's a lake in the north west of the park,
46with a bird hide to the west of it, at the end of a path.
47So it'll be a nice quiet place for watching the birds on the lake.
48Fairly close to where refreshments are available,
49there's a dog-walking area in the southern part of the park, leading off from the path.
50And if you just want to sit and relax, you can go to the flower garden;
51that's the circular area on the map surrounded by paths.
52And finally, there's a wooded area in the western section of the park, between two paths.
53Okay, that's enough from me, so let's...