A big thank you to everyone involved in our successful Wild Week 2026! It was a marathon this year but we did it, with 10 Moorlands schools and help from 12 workshop leaders, 14 volunteer helpers and well over 800 children taking part.
Our brilliant team used many different approaches to raise children’s awareness of water in fun and accessible ways. They explored what water is through rain, rivers, streams, ponds and water filtration, and also how water affects us and people in other countries. With their help, the children discovered what lives in, on or around water, including fish, water voles, beavers, kingfishers and dragonflies, as well as factors that influence their survival and protect their habitats.
The workshop leaders and volunteers went into schools and between them ran 37 workshop sessions. These included storytelling, making and hands-on art activities, with clay, colours, drawings and books. The children created and performed poetry and drama with rain music too! They made mini ponds and beaver dams; they explored their school grounds for bugs and wildflowers….. in fact, all sorts!
Huge thanks are due to our wonderful workshop leaders for providing so many exciting activities. Wild Week could not have happened without the amazing efforts of Gordon MacLellan (Creeping Toad); Lorna Stoddart (Greenwood Growth CIC); Martin Harrison and Eleanor Hervieu (National Education Park), Jen Sargeant (Support Staffordshire) and Louise Taylor (Staffordshire Wildlife Trust). Special mention also to our amazing MCA volunteer workshop leaders: Harry, Kate, Sue, Theresa, Sally, and Claire who were supported by helpers Claire, Tina, Judy, Kaz, Mark, Mike, Alison, Adrian, Sarah, Rosemary, Judith, Louise, Ben and Karen. Suzanne Mann also helped with admin and Anne Craddock, our Treasurer, dealt with the financial side. Thank you all.
Creeping Toad: https://creepingtoad.blogspot.com/2026/07/a-river-in-classroom.html
We are also grateful to several of our District Councillors, The Wildflower Society and Nature In Your Neighbourhood for helping to fund Wild Week through grants for materials and books, as well as our professional Workshop Leader fees.
And, of course, a very big thank you to our Wild Week schools:
All Saints C of E First, Beresford Memorial C of E First, Blackshaw Moor C of E First, Endon Hall Primary, Leek First, Manifold C of E Academy, St Edwards C of E Academy, St Leonards C of E First, St Mary’s Catholic Academy and Woodcroft Academy.