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Family Wildlife Group Celebrates 20 Years of Nature Discovery

A monthly nature group near Rugeley has been running for two decades, inspiring countless families to discover nature.
All my children have enjoyed growing up against the background of the changing seasons, creating art, rafts, dens and ‘potions'. They have been inspired by all sorts of birdlife, insects, mammals (and their skeletons) and so have I!
James Shingler
Parent/participant of Wildlife Watch Group

Wildlife Watch is a monthly group at The Wolseley Centre, Wolseley Bridges. It offers nature-themed activities for families to spark curiosity and encourage them to care about wildlife.     

This November marks the group's 20th anniversary. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s incredible Wildchild Officer Susan Kosak has led the group from the very beginning - a big thank you to Susan for two decades of inspiring young nature lovers!   

Susan says: "It's a real privilege to share this place with families who’ve been coming for years. Their enthusiasm for nature never fails to amaze me! Here's to the next 20 years of adventures!  

“When I began leading the group in November 2005, I had no idea that 20 years later I would still be running it! Over the years we’ve hosted some incredible local naturalists who shared their specialist knowledge of the wildlife that calls the Wolseley grounds home.   

“We’ve watched bats fly over the lake after dark and discovered what barn owls eat by dissecting their pellets guided by a Barn Owl Trust volunteer. One of my favourite memories is the first few sessions back after the pandemic. The simple joy of going for a walk together and rediscovering all our favourite places made me so happy!”

A woman in a green tshirt with short cropped dark brown hair blows out candles on a cake. Two men stand behind her and 3 boys of various ages, all with the same bowl cut blond hair join in to blow out the candles. There's a kitchen area behind them.

Wildchild Officer Susan Kozak celebrates 20 years of Wildlife Watch. Photo by Adrian Clarke

A woman in a beige cardigan and cropped dark brown hair leans over a table as children surround the table to take part in crafting activities

Susan Kozak running a Wildlife Watch session by Adrian Clarke

A woman in a bright green tshirt and cropped dark brown hair stands surrounded by people of various ages in an indoor classroom setting

Susan Kozak celebrates 20 years of Wildlife Watch with lots of attendees of the group by Adrian Clarke

James Shingler has taken all of his children to the Wildlife Watch sessions over the years. He says: “All my children have enjoyed growing up against the background of the changing seasons, creating art, rafts, dens and ‘potions'. They have been inspired by all sorts of birdlife, insects, mammals (and their skeletons) and so have I!” 

Susan’s son Tom also attended Wildlife Watch Group as he grew up. Now in his 20s he is following in his mum’s footsteps working part time as an activity leader for SWT and part time as a warden at The Wolseley Centre.  

To mark the special occasion Susan and Tom planted a hazel tree in the outdoor classroom at Wolseley.  

Wildlife Watch takes place between 10am and 12pm on the first Saturday of each month. It costs just £1 per child, with a new theme or activity each month. Spaces can be booked online in advance via the events webpage: www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/events  

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