The Wiltshire Kingfisher Award Scheme is taking a break in 2023 & 2024.  Apologies for any disappointment this may cause.

We are planning to run the scheme again from 2025 and will update this page with further details in due course.  If you would like to contact us in the meantime, please email us at [email protected].

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2022: We were delighted to be able to return to a farm site for our field days this summer.  Our host farm was Wallmead Farm in the village of Tisbury, to the west of Salisbury, and our theme for this year was ‘Living on a Dairy Farm’. 

Our brilliant team of local volunteers helped 104 children from four different schools to engage in a wide range of hands-on activities over the two field days. 

 

 

 

Field Days

In June 2022 children were enthusiastically engaged in three different topics as described below. Activities were designed to alert children’s senses to the wildlife on the farmland around them and allow them to get right up close to nature, as well as gain an understanding of the workings of a dairy farm.

• Cows and Calves
  The cows at Wallmead Farm produce calves at different times of the year. Children were able to take an in-depth look at the key physical features of these animals, how they develop over their lifecycle and how the quality and quantity of the food they eat can affect the production of milk. Children were also able to discuss the wonders of muck and manure and how important these are to the lifecycles of other living creatures on the farm.   

 

• Hedgerow Hoppers
  Hedges play a vital part in shaping our landscape. Children explored how hedgerows act as corridors for wildlife to move between woodland and field habitats, as well as provide shelter and keep domesticated animals safely enclosed. Children learned how to identify plants by their leaves and flowers and how they create habitats and food for birds, invertebrates and small mammals. They also had the opportunity to catch and identify some of the winged and non-winged insects, which make a hedge their home.  

     

 

• Stream Team
  The River Nadder flows through the fields of the farm and there is a great spot adjacent to the stream where this activity station was set up.  Children will be using magnifying glasses to inspect some of the tiniest creatures, which live on the farm, and discovering the key features by which to identify different aquatic species. They also explored plant and animal habitats in and around the stream and what keeps the river healthy and the water clean.   

 

Classroom Research

Pupils returned to their classroom after their field visit, brimming with ideas of what they wanted to research in more detail.  They spent the next few weeks coming up with a huge range of creative and imaginative ideas to showcase what had inspired them. 

Picnic Afternoon and Award Ceremony

The sun shone bright on our picnic afternoon on 14^th July and the event showed how enthused the children had all been by their visit to Wallmead Farm. Whilst the children enjoyed a range of craft activities and fun challenges, the judges deliberated long and hard over the four eye-catching displays: cows, hedges and the American crayfish were key features, along with some stunning artwork, creative writing and incredible constructions. 

                

    

 

 

Congratulations to all schools for their fantastic displays and hard work. The winning school was The Abbey and the runner-up was Wardour.

2022 Winners The Abbey with the Kingfisher Award

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The Wiltshire Kingfisher Award is kindly supported by:

 

 

and The Henry Hoare Charitable Trust, Samuel William Farmer Trust and some private individual donations. 

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The KAS is entirely reliant on sponsorship money, charitable donations, and volunteers. If you would like to make a donation or offer your time to help please contact the FWAG SouthWest office on: 01823 660684 or email [email protected]