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One of the Young Farmers created this diagram of a butterfly lifecycle and a bold stylised painting of a butterfly for their #LetsGetPollinating campaign

When the Young Rangers first started in September 2019 they were wild and ready for adventure! To explore & discover the Mendip Hills AONB, and it's exciting adventure activities we went canoeing, learned bushcraft and in the next session in October went climbing and caving. This also provided the opportunity for them to get to know each other as well as exploring Mendip adventure! We had discussions about sustainable recreation and how we can make sure we have fun when exploring but look after these special qualities of the AONB. Especially the amazing geology and protected wildlife such as bats and nesting birds.

Next the Young Rangers did a course in Outdoor Activity First Aid and had the chance to show off their new uniforms sponsored by the Mendip Society. We had a lot of fun practicing the first aid skills but it was a good chance to understand the seriousness of something going wrong whilst out exploring. Our Young Rangers learned CPR, dressing wounds and how to use a defibrillator. They also got the opportunity to put their skills to the test outdoors in a hypothetical scenarios. First Aid skills are a way that we can work towards conserving the Mendip Hills AONB by keeping each other and our communities safe. The Young Rangers had their first opportunity to share their experiences as they were featured in several local newspapers for completing their First Aid course through Ammonite Training.

For a Christmas celebration, we took a walk in a nature reserve discovering a new area that we hadn't been before. We explored the nature reserve and had discussions about what we could see. The Young Rangers then collected fallen materials and we made Christmas wreaths using willow, and items they had collected on their walk. We were conserving the environment by making zero waste, sustainable Christmas decorations instead of buying materials. The Young Rangers took their wreaths home and shared them with their friends, families and local communities by hanging them on their door and sharing images with us to put on the Mendip Hills AONB Facebook page.

In the New Year, our adventurous Young Rangers took a trip to Wells to learn about the history of Mendip Hills AONB. The water wells of Wells has historically supported the Mendip Hills providing vast amounts of water to the area, allowing the city to grow and develop. We had a guided tour around the Bishop's Palace and learned about the wealthy historical connections to Mendip Hills. We then took a visit to the Wells & Mendip Museum, to look at some human Neolithic artefacts and ancient animal remains that have been found in the Mendip Hills.

In February we explored Ebbor Gorge National Nature Reserve. We discovered ancient woodland habitat and learning how to identify trees in Winter, using buds and bark. The Young Rangers discovered the benefits of nature and wellbeing, with a 5 minute forest bathing meditation session, discovering the sounds of nature. We hiked up through Ebbor Gorge itself and walked to Deer Leap to learn drystone walling. Our Mendip Hills AONB volunteers, taught the Young Rangers the importance of conserving drystone walls, for wildlife and the landscape character of the AONB. Our Young Rangers proceeded to repair a section of drystone wall that was falling down, conserving one of the Mendip Hills AONB most important special qualities.

In March 2020 the Young Rangers had a day of two halves. Firstly they visited the family run Fernhill Farm and discovered traditional techniques of wool weaving. We explored the farm, discovering how it is sympathetic with the environment by using sustainable methods, such as a reed bed water filter system. Afterwards, we went to Yeo Valley farm, to learn about their more modern and intensive methods of organic dairy farming. We explored the farm and discovered how they produce their products and milk their cows for large scale production. At the end of the day, we compared and contrasted these two different methods of farming, discussing the pros and cons of each.

Unfortunately due to Covid 19 at this stage we had to postpone Young Ranger meets until further notice. However, we produced a remote learning activity to teach the basics of navigation, that the Young Rangers were able to do in their local area. We taught them the basics of map reading, using a compass, taking a bearing and how to put that into practice. This allowed them to discover new skill, explore new areas in their local communities and conserve the countryside, by being able to stay safe and explore responsibly. They shared these experiences with their families at home and we were able to share their navigation adventures through the Mendip Hills AONB social media.