Nature walk offer at wildlife reserve on outskirts of Hartlepool

The guided walk at RSPB Saltholme, in Seaton Carew Road, will take place on Friday, May 13, at 2pm and is a bid to address this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme of loneliness.

Claire Freeburn, visitor experience manager at RSPB Saltholme, said: “We’re really looking forward to welcoming regulars and new visitors alike to next month’s event.

“It’s a great opportunity to engage our visitors and promote the benefits that getting out and about in the fresh air and enjoying nature can have on your mental health. It’ll also be a really easy way to meet new people and have a chat, while enjoying all the reserve has to offer.

Nature Walk and Talk aims to give members of the local community the opportunity to meet new people in a safe and welcoming environment.

It is also a chance to get outdoors and connect with nature, which has additional benefits for mental and physical health.

The social guided walk will start and end at the reserve’s visitor centre.

Normal entry fees to RSPB Saltholme apply to non-members but RSPB members get free entry.

Saltholme’s wet grasslands are a Site of Special Scientific Interest and of national important for wildfowl and wading birds.

It is home to one of the UK's largest inland breeding colony of common terns.

For more details on this, and other events at RSPB Saltholme, go to: events.rspb.org.uk/saltholme.