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Join Plantlife’s Senior Ecological Advisor Sarah Robinson and Nev Kilkenny, a mycological expert, for a day out to get ready for our annual Waxcap Watch. This workshop will equip group leaders with the confidence to teach others how to take part in Plantlife’s Waxcap Watch in 2026.
Come and join us to learn about beautiful, colourful and sometimes rare grassland fungi in Strathblane. Nev is a very experienced mycologist and he will be leading the session, teaching how to recognise these fungi on what will hopefully be a varied and rich CHEGD (waxcap grassland) site.
This will be an opportunity for people to learn more about the species, about the Waxcap Watch campaign, and how you can host your own Waxcap Watch surveys this autumn.
We will use the opportunity to learn how to use the new and improved version of the Waxcap Watch survey app. This app allows anyone to go out and survey a site for rare grassland fungi, and then feedback the data to us and relevant fungi recording groups. Hopefully you’ll feel confident enough to do some of your own surveys after this session.
The sites we’re surveying have not been fully surveyed before. We wanted to use the opportunity to engage with new landowners at sites we’ve noted as high potential, so you’ll be helping us to find new populations on the day, and we’re not exactly sure what we’ll see.
Facilities: There are no toilet facilities on site.
Refreshments: Volunteers are asked to bring a packed lunch and water on the day.
At least one. We expect there to be high demand for this workshop so in return we’d like you to commit to carrying out at least one Waxcap Watch survey. Obviously if you do more, that’s even better!
These workshops are designed to support people who want to take part in Plantlife’s Waxcap Watch survey. We see it as a good use of our time to upskill volunteers who will then go out and do the survey in 2025 and beyond.
You can find out more about our annual Waxcap Watch, here.
This session will be on grassland terrain and will be off paths. There may be some steep slopes.
For a chat about access and your specific needs please contact our Senior Ecological Advisor Sam Jones, here.
For the comfort of everyone and smooth running of the event, we do not allow dogs at Plantlife events.
By taking a part in our survey you will help us to:
Much of this app is based on the work by Gareth Griffith, John Bratton and Gary Easton. Original publication: Griffith, G.W., Bratton, J.H. & Easton, G. (2004) Charismatic megafungi; the conservation of waxcap grasslands. British Wildlife. October 2004, pp 31-43.
You are responsible for your own health and safety; Plantlife do not accept any liability or responsibility for the wellbeing of surveyors. Similarly, they do not accept any liability or responsibility for damage to, or loss of, personal property.
We always recommend visiting sites and undertaking surveys with someone else and taking the following precautions:
– Check the forecast and make appropriate arrangements. If the weather changes you may need to rethink your plans.– Take care on uneven or slippery ground and keep to footpaths where necessary.– Take a mobile phone and let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.– Most fungi are non-toxic; even toxic ones are safe to hold. However, always wash your hands after handling fungi.
England and Wales
Grassland fungi can be found across a variety of different sites, many of which are publicly accessible, such as playing fields, parks or cemeteries. Where there is no open access, keep to public rights of way (footpaths and bridleways). If you plan to carry out a survey on private land, please make sure you obtain the landowner’s permission to access the site.
Scotland
Make sure you follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code when carrying out this activity.
Where possible, we would highly recommend using the Survey123 app to complete the survey. It is much more convenient to use, especially when filling in the survey outdoors. The Survey123 app allows you to view and/or edit surveys you’ve already submitted, submit surveys while offline, and save answers to avoid re-entering the same information.However, if using the app is not feasible, you can alternatively follow this link and then select ‘Open in browser’ to launch the survey in a web browser on your computer. If you choose this option, we recommend looking over the survey form first to see what information you will need to record when carrying out your survey.
You can still access and fill out the survey without mobile data but you must download the Survey123 app in order to do this.When connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data, download the Survey123 app, as well as the Waxcap Watch survey. You can then begin capturing survey information without a data connection. Upon completingthe survey, you will be given the option to ‘Save in Outbox’, please select this option (see below). In doing so, all your survey results will be stored locally on your device.
When you are able to reconnect to Wi-Fi or mobile data, you will need to submit your survey that has been saved in your Outbox. To do this, navigate to the survey summary page where you will see an ‘Outbox’folder. By clicking on this folder, you will be able to see the survey you filled out and can submit it by clicking ‘Send’ in the bottom right corner of the screen
Join us to hear from award-winning author Bethany Handley as she calls for us to rethink how we live alongside nature.
Join us to hear from Benton End’s Head Gardener James Horner who has led the renewal of this historic garden, once home to a collection of rare and unusual plants.
Take part in Plantlife’s National Meadows Day on Saturday 1 July 2023. This year we celebrate the value of our local species-rich grasslands, including meadows.
Come and learn about rare mountain top plants and fungi in habitat over in altitude 1000m with expert botanists.
Join us live on Instagram, where Project Manager Sam Jones will show you rare plants, and answer questions about the Cairngorms project.
Join Plantlife’s Senior Ecological Advisor Sam Jones and mycologist Liz Holden for a day out to get ready for our annual Waxcap Watch. This workshop will equip group leaders with the confidence to teach others how to take part in Plantlife’s Waxcap Watch in 2026.
Come and join us to learn about beautiful, colourful and sometimes rare grassland fungi in the Cairngorms. Liz is a very experienced mycologist and he will be leading the session, teaching how to recognise these fungi on what will hopefully be a varied and rich CHEGD (waxcap grassland) site.
Join Plantlife’s Senior Ecological Advisor Sam Jones and Nev Kilkenny, a mycological expert, for a day out to get ready for our annual Waxcap Watch. This workshop will equip group leaders with the confidence to teach others how to take part in Plantlife’s Waxcap Watch in 2026.
Come and join us to learn about beautiful, colourful and sometimes rare grassland fungi in the Cairngorms. Nev is a very experienced mycologist and he will be leading the session, teaching how to recognise these fungi on what will hopefully be a varied and rich CHEGD (waxcap grassland) site.
Join us for a walk and a tour of a farm with our tenant farmer at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve to learn all about regenerative farming.
Come for a tour with our tenant Farmer Andrew Lingham and Reserve Manager Ben Sweeney to learn all about regenerative farming at Ranscombe Farm and Court Farm.
Farming plays an instrumental role in shaping the landscape of Plantlife’s flagship nature reserve Ranscombe Farm – its past, present, and future. Andrew and his father before him have been farming both arable crops and livestock at Ranscombe since 1978.
A passionate practitioner of regenerative agriculture since the early 2000s, Andrew’s main base at Court Farm, 2 miles south of Ranscombe Farm at Upper Halling, is now home to a developing local food hub, featuring a butchers, bakery, micro-brewery, and soon a regular farmers’ market.
Join Andrew and Ben to find out how our 2 approaches complement each other and about farming with nature to sustain a healthy functioning ecosystem and productive farmed landscape in the face of ever-increasing external pressures.
Please come dressed for the weather and the terrain including:
Please arrive at the Ranscombe Farm car park at 13.45, for a 14:00 start where we will go for a short walk.
At 15:00, we will travel by participants’ cars to Court Farm, Upper Halling. We will try to have some spare spaces available for people not travelling by car for the journey to Court Farm, but this can’t be guaranteed.
We will finish at Court Farm by 17:00.
This event is part of our 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve. It is part of the Ranscombe Connect: Community Participation for Wild Plants and Fungi project which has been made possible through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Thanks to Lottery Players we have been able to create more opportunities for local people to get involved with Ranscombe Farm Reserve. If you are interested in volunteering at Ranscombe Farm contact us here.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Join us for a relaxed, supportive morning run as part of our 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve.
Join us and for a gentle guided walk through beautiful surroundings, using just your phone to capture nature in new ways. This event is being held as part of our 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve.
Join us to help find and count some of Ranscombe's rare plants as part of our 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve.
Join us for this fun outdoor family session combining a nature scavenger hunt, creative mobile making, and exciting bug hunting. This event is being held as part of our 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve.
Join us to see one of the UK's best collections of ancient and veteran trees at Cobham Wood. This event is being held as part of our 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve.
Join us for this guided forest bathing experience as part of our 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve.
Join us for a walk around Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve to learn about its remarkable history, stories and the plants that call it home.
Explore this extraordinary nature reserve with Richard Moyse, one of Kent’s leading naturalists, former Ranscombe project manager, and one time resident of Cuxton. Meet some of its remarkable plants, learn about its history and hear some of its stories on a 2-mile walk through woodland, grassland and arable fields.
Richard recently had an excellent book published on Ranscombe Farm, copies of which will be available for purchase; all proceeds will be going to support the Kent Field Club.
Please come dressed for the weather and the terrain for example:
To get closer to the areas of some of the best wildflowers, we will be asking participants to drive in convoy further into the reserve along surfaced farm tracks, sharing cars if possible.
We will meet at Ranscombe Events Car Park which can be found at – What3words: arts.bind.notes
All ages are welcome and under 18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
This event is part of our 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve. It is part of the Ranscombe Connect: Community Participation for Wild Plants and Fungi project which has been made possible through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to Lottery Players we have been able to create more opportunities for local people to get involved with Ranscombe Farm Reserve. If you are interested in volunteering at Ranscombe Farm contact us here.
What is the National Plant Monitoring Scheme, why was it developed and how does it work. Join us at Plantlife’s flagship nature reserve, Ranscombe Farm to learn more.
The day will cover why the National Plant Monitoring Scheme was developed, how it works and what it has achieved already, before taking a look at the methodology in more detail. There will be an indoor session in the morning, followed by an afternoon heading out to the beautiful Ranscombe Farm – Plantlife’s flagship reserve, which is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary in 2026.
Here we will walk through the practicalities of plot set up and recording in the field while enjoying this Important Plant Area (IPA). There should be time to head back indoors to answer any questions and review resources and support available.
This event is ideal for newcomers to the scheme interested in getting involved or those looking for a refresher.
Spaces are limited for this session, so booking is essential. Once booked, you will receive confirmation and further event details, including directions to the site.
Tea and coffee will be provided and there are toilets available. Please bring your own picnic lunch and drink. Public transport access points can be found near the venue.
This event is part of our 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve. It is part of the Ranscombe Connect: Community Participation for Wild Plants and Fungi project which has been made possible through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to Lottery Players we have been able to create more opportunities for local people to get involved with Ranscombe Farm Reserve.
If you are interested in volunteering at Ranscombe Farm contact us here.
Join us for a fun outdoor family session combining a nature scavenger hunt, creative mobile making, and exciting bug hunting. Discover wildlife, get creative with natural materials, and enjoy quality time together in nature.
Suitable for children aged 5 – 10 years. Children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult at all times.
Numbers are limited for safety reasons so make sure to book your tickets if you’d like to guarantee your places.
This event is part of Plantlife’s 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve. This event is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund through the Ranscombe Connect: Community Participation for Wild Plants and Fungi project.
Join us for this relaxed, supportive morning designed to bring women together through movement, fresh air, and community. This isn’t about pace. It’s not about distance. And it’s definitely not about being ‘fit enough’. It’s about feeling safe, supported, and confident outdoors. All experience levels welcome.
Please email SkellyWAGS here, to express your interest in this event and they will send a booking form.
Thanks to Lottery Players we have been able to create more opportunities for local people to get involved with Ranscombe Farm Reserve. If you are interested in volunteering at Ranscombe Farm you can contact us here.
Join us to see one of the UK’s best collections of ancient and veteran trees at Cobham Wood. This event is being held as part of our 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve.
Immediately west of the woodland at Ranscombe Farm is Cobham Wood, which is home to one of the UK’s best collections of ancient and veteran trees.
Join the National Trust’s Jonathan Ireland and Plantlife’s Ben Sweeney to discover the story of these two nationally important sites, the challenges that they face, and the plans for working together in the future as part of the new North Kent Woods and Downs National Nature Reserve.
All ages welcome however under 18s must be accompanied and fully supervised by a responsible adult.
We will be meeting at: National Trust South Lodge Barn, Lodge Lane, Cobham, DA12 3BS, what3words parts.term.moving.
This event is part of our 20th anniversary celebration week at Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve. It is part of the Ranscombe Connect: Community Participation for Wild Plants and Fungi project which has been made possible through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to Lottery Players we have been able to create more opportunities for local people to get involved with Ranscombe Farm Reserve. If you are interested in volunteering at Ranscombe Farm contact volunteering@plantlife.org.uk
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