On Sunday 21st September, a group of our local LGBT+ community went to Horner Ancient Woods. Aislinn & Charlotte from the National Trust were ready to guide us around the accessible track, along with Maya and Helen from Minehead and Coast Development Trust. We all met at Webbers Post, where there was a brief spell of rain… But most of the attendees were too busy looking at the beautiful wild horses to notice the undesirable weather!
Thankfully the rain quickly subsided, which bearing in mind we were visiting a rainforest was pretty lucky. The circular trail has panoramic views across the countryside and takes you through the gorgeous temperate rainforest of Horner Wood.
After the initial walk, we went down to a barn to have some refreshments and check out each other’s photos. Next we were treated to a workshop by geoscientist-turned-visual-artist Elizabeth Woodger, exploring luminograms with items found in nature and various types of photographic paper.
Finally, those that felt up to it went on a final walk to the shores of the nearby River Horner. The National Trust guides demonstrated how to test the water for nitrates and phosphates. The River’s Trust run week-long citizen science surveys twice a year, that help to build an important picture of river health across the UK and Ireland. All in all, an amazing day out was had.
Our ever-grateful thanks to Daniel from Social Material for working with us a second year. The opportunities afforded to our community through our partnership and his Queer Nature Club South West has been brilliant. Events like this selling out are testament to how much appetite there is among the LGBT+ community to re-explore and connect with nature.
Had a wonderful day at Horner Wood. It was so relaxing and fascinating. The information was very interesting and I absolutely loved doing the photographic paper artwork. It’s so nice to have something to bring back home. Being part of the national water testing survey thanks to the testing kit we were given is an added bonus. I felt so lucky to be part of this day. The wood is beautiful and the whole group felt very friendly and safe. The leaders, ranger and volunteers were very welcoming and knowledgeable.
