Make the most of your October Half Term and spend three days learning how to survive in the wild woods of the Wye Valley on a Youth Ranger free taster session. The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are recruiting a new group of young people, aged 14-18 years, for their Youth Ranger programme. You will learn how to build a shelter, light a fire, purify water, cook outdoors, as well as gaining simple knife skills. You will learn how to identify trees, plants and wildlife and how to spend time outside and leave little trace of your presence.

If you share a passion for the countryside, wildlife, being outdoors and learning new skills come join the taster days on 25/26/27 October 10:00am - 3:00 pm each day. You can come for 1 day or all 3 days, but places are limited so you must book your place by emailing [email protected] or calling Sarah on 01600 710844.

Youth Rangers is a great opportunity to get to know the Wye Valley & Forest of Dean through experiencing a range of challenging outdoor activities, from kayaking and climbing to exploring underground caves, during the two-year free programme. Youth Rangers gain a greater understanding of farming, biodiversity and rural skills through training in stonewalling, hedge laying and green woodworking.

“We want to share our knowledge of the amazing countryside we have in the Wye Valley with young people and inspire them to become the environmental champions of the future” said Sarah Sawyer, Wye Valley AONB Youth Rangers’ project leader. “It’s a fun way to make new friends too.”

Youth Rangers is part of the Heritage Lottery Funded Foresters’ Forest Landscape Partnership Programme. Programme manager Sue Middleton said, “Youth Rangers provides a great opportunity for young people to explore what makes our Forest so special and why we want to protect it for future generations. It will give them better understanding and respect for the unique landscape and heritage that we have, and give them a range of new skills.”