Huw Irranca-Davies MP, Wildlife and Biodiversity Minister, joined 64 children (aged 10-11) from Year 6 of Downs Junior School in Rugby Road, Brighton at Sussex Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) nature reserve at Woods Mill, near Henfield on Tuesday 22 September.

Huw was in Sussex as part of Defra’s Muck In4Life campaign. The Minister spent the day visiting various conservation organisations to find out what inspired people to volunteer. With the help of education volunteers at Sussex Wildlife Trust, the Minister and the children enjoyed a mini-beast hunt and pond dipping.

Dr Tony Whitbread, Chief Executive of SWT says: “Volunteers are vital to our delivery of high quality environmental education. Having knowledgeable volunteers to support our trained staff means group sizes for schools can be kept small, so greatly increasing the individual attention we can give to each child. Our volunteers are always on hand to share the wonderful moment of discovery when a child sees something new and wants to tell the world about it.”

Huw Irranca-Davies said: “I’d encourage anyone to have a go at conservation volunteering. Today I’ve been looking through leaf litter discovering the world of mini-beasts and pond dipping to find out exactly what lives under the water. Volunteering and getting your hands dirty is great for your health and will help conserve wildlife.”

Find out more about volunteering in your area by searching online for Muck in4Life www.direct.gov.uk/muckin4life

For more information on SWT please see the website www.sussexwt.org.uk

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Picture Captions:

0304.jpg: volunteer Christine Dafter (white t-shirt) with Huw Irranca-Davies and children from Downs Junior School (Brighton) on a mini-beast hunt