Night walk: visitors enjoy wild adventure

The event, which took place over 4 nights between 24-27 October 2024, aimed to encourage us to think about how we can build a more biodiverse and sustainable future.

Organised by Rochdale Borough Council and staged by outdoor arts specialists Walk The Plank, the environmental arts project culminated in the magical trail, creating a wonderland featuring many of the creatures that live in the woods, alongside dramatic sounds, lights, performers, projections and an interactive bugs and beasties shadowscreen.

Walk the Plank worked with 300 local school children, community groups and artists, connecting them with nature, increasing engagement on the climate emergency, and creating larger-than-life lanterns that formed part of the trail. They have also been working with teachers to support children’s growing awareness of the climate crisis, by developing solutions to protect the environment through learning and development activities with children, residents and artists.

Visitors got up close to giant moths, robins, and flowers on their wander.

Deer, hedgehogs, hares, badgers, owls and pine martens were amongst the animals to feature on the enchanting trail, alongside moths and robins, giant flowers and fire installations to light the way.

Lilly, the giant baby girl returned to reveal what local primary school children think about the environment, their hopes for protecting animals, nature and the world they want to live in. The young people’s ideas, poems, and songs they shared with Lilly were woven into an inspiring sound poem that was played during the event.

Positive feedback has already been received from visitors, with many taking to social media during the event to share their views with comments including “a beautiful evening,” “fab”, “incredible” and “amazing.”

Lilly, the giant baby girl returned to reveal what local primary school children think about the environment, their hopes for protecting animals, nature and the world they want to live in.

Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council said:

“This has been a wonderful project to be involved in, with a powerful take home message for us all. The children of Rochdale have spoken and been very clear on the kind of future they want to see and it was moving to see the responses from visitors.

“I hope Wild Wanders has encouraged people to think positively about what they can do to make the world a better place for future generations and I can assure you that we will continue to keep the climate conversation going.

“Thank you to our supporters and volunteers and the organisations who helped us deliver such a groundbreaking event, we’re proud to have created an unforgettable experience for so many people.”

Councillor Tricia Ayrton, cabinet member for climate change and environment said:

“Climate change is the most significant challenge facing humanity, now and in the future, and it’s a significant concern for young people, so Wild Wanders was a great way of getting people to stop and think while reconnecting with nature, in a way that I think has captured the imaginations of adults as well as children.

“I will make sure that people remember the voices of our young people so we can create a world we’re all proud to leave behind.”

Councillor Tricia Ayrton, cabinet member for climate change and environment at Wild Wanders.

Liz Pugh, executive producer at Walk the Plank added:

“Inviting people to explore a woodland space at night brought a diverse range of people into direct contact with nature on their doorstep.

“The audience loved the opportunities for interaction with our guides, all recruited locally through working with Culture Co-op, and hundreds of children made pledges for what they will do to make a difference to the environment.

“Access and sustainability were crucial aspects of the planning, so it was great to see so many families with prams and pushchairs, and several wheelchair users, all being able to enjoy this outdoor experience, and almost all the illuminations were lit using renewable energy sources.”

Wild Wanders was a big hit with visitors, with all tickets being snapped up within hours of being released.

Wild Wanders was created by Rochdale Borough Council working with multi-award-winning international outdoor arts specialists Walk the Plank alongside the Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP), Culture Co-Op, Rochdale Development Agency, Your Trust and Hopwood Hall College and University Centre. It was funded by Arts Council England and the Garfield Weston Foundation.