The Donkey Sanctuary to hold events for first Sidmouth Biodiversity Festival

The Donkey Sanctuary is set to hold two events as part of the first Sidmouth Biodiversity Festival.

The festival, which runs from today (Monday 5 June) to Sunday 11 June, will feature a week of wildlife-themed talks, guided walks and children's activities around the Sid Valley. 

Organised by the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group, the festival "aims to inspire and inform people about the rich diversity of wildlife in the valley, and the importance of taking steps to increase biodiversity". 

Pascal Bisson, Apprentice Ecology and Conservation Officer, said: "We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to the sanctuary as part of the Biodiversity Festival, and hope they get to appreciate the amazing wildlife that the sanctuary has to offer."

Events at The Donkey Sanctuary

On Thursday 8 June, the sanctuary will hold a botany walk through the grasslands in the Weston Valley in Sidmouth. 

The donkeys share the valley with dozens of native plant species, including pignut, birds-foot trefoil, vetches, black knapweed, meadow vetchling and common-spotted orchid.

Guided by the charity's ecology and conservation team, visitors will be encouraged to see how many they can spot. 

Grazing by the resident donkeys have reportedly helped some of the rarer plants flourish in this area, as they eat a wide variety of plants and take out the coarser and more dominant species that might otherwise shade out or outcompete herbs and fine grasses. 

Click here to find out more and to book.

On Sunday 11 June, the final day of the festival, visitors will be able to join in The Donkey Sanctuary's Wildlife Bingo walk.

The walk will include a tour around the sanctuary's wildflower plots, permanent grassland and skylark bank, where visitors can look out for wildlife to tick off their bingo sheets. 

Click here to find out more and to book.

SEE ALSO: First Sidmouth Biodiversity Festival set to get underway