Full steam ahead for our third Wilding Weekend. It will be on 15th and 16th June in sunny West Dorset, near Beaminster! Opening hours will be 10.30am to 4.30pm.
The garden is wild. Come and have a look. We have wildflower meadows, a cascade of ponds, insect homes, a medieval walkway, a bat-egg (!), mown paths through swaying grass and lots more things to see.
Family friendly
There will be talks, tours and stalls as well as things to buy and things to eat. I’ll update this page with highlights and further details as they are confirmed.
We have expert moth trappers coming in the night so they can display what they’ve caught – and then let them go, of course! There will be a large selection of books about wilding, nature, and conservation for both adults and children. The wonderful Bee Happy Plants & Seeds will have a stall selling plants that appeal to pollinators.
And, this year we have a new attraction on Sunday only – giant puppets! They will act out wild themes and look like they’ll be lots of fun.
Food & Drink
I’m a foodie and am delighted to have discovered Mello View who will be producing fabulous locally sourced lunches for our visitors – the menu looks amazing. There will also be delicious scones, cakes, ice-creams, and homemade elderflower cordial. And, Clipper Teas will be bringing their beautifully decorated caravan donating all the proceeds to our charities.
Supporting Charities
The Wilding Weekend will not only be celebrating Dorset’s nature, but also supporting conservation charities too. As before, the open weekend will be in conjunction with the National Garden Scheme (NGS) – and their charities will receive the proceeds from the entrance fee. All other proceeds will be split between, provisionally Butterfly Conservation, The Bumblebee Trust and Dorset Mammals Group.
Confirmed Speakers
Last year visitors were excited and enthusiastic to discover what we have to offer and be able to get advice from experts. This year we have some new ones to join the fray.
Speakers will include:
Benedict Macdonald, Author of Rebirding and Cornerstones talking about his nature restoration business – Restore.
Kate Rawles, Author of The Life Cycle – draws on her experiences cycling the length of South America on a bamboo bicycle.
Trewin Restorick, Sizzle: Talking about their Enrich the Earth campaign to replace peat with sustainable alternatives.
Sam Rose, West Dorset Wilding: Talking about the new landowner and farmer-led charity taking action to restore ecosystems and increase nature in West Dorset, through rewilding and regenerative agriculture.
Julie Leah, The Great Big Dorset Hedge: Talking about the importance of hedgerows for wildlife and why we need to look for alternatives to garden bonfires.
Confirmed Stallholders
THE WILDING WEEKEND 2024
Learn how to wild your garden.
Meet interesting people.
Have a lovely day out.
Come and join us.
On 15th & 16th June, 2024
at Hooke Farm, West Dorset
It would be brilliant if you shared this invitation with friends and encouraged them to come too. For further updates, check out this website. We have a few surprises in store but are waiting for confirmation before posting further details.
Is it same stuff happening both days? Apart from the giant puppets…
Some speakers will be there on only one day but otherwise, it will be similar on both days. And, as you point out the puppets will only be coming on Sunday. They will start their performance at about 2pm.
Thanks for your interest.
Julia
I would like to attend the Wilding event at Hooke Farm on Sunday, 16th June please with 2 or 3 other people as a visitor.
That is brilliant Claire. You don’t need to book in advance – just turn up on the day. I’ll continue to post updates on my website, if you want to check what other things will be going on! Thanks for your interest.
Julia