Date: Saturday 8 August
Time: 10am – 3pm
Location: St Paul’s, Cheltenham
Cost: Free (booking required for some activities)
Suitable for: Anyone curious about helping nature in their gardens
Cheltenham Gardens for Nature
Whether you have a large garden, a balcony, an allotment or simply an interest in nature, Cheltenham Gardens for Nature is a chance to discover practical ideas, meet local people and organisations, and leave inspired to help wildlife where you live.
Hear inspiring talks
Ask the experts
Go on a plant walk
Get creative with nature
Discover wildlife gardening
Buy plants for your garden
Have fun with the kids
Enjoy the cafe
Talks and Walks at The Greenhouse
Our talks are free to attend, but places are limited, so we recommend booking in advance.
From wildlife-friendly gardening and working with your garden’s natural ecology to pollinators, swifts, soil and more, each talk has been designed to be practical, friendly and accessible—whether you’re just getting started or already have plenty of gardening experience.
Working With Your Garden’s Natural Ecology
Charlotte O’Neill, Ecologist | 10am | 45 minutes + Q&A
Every garden is different. Ecologist Charlotte O’Neill will explain how understanding your garden’s soil, existing plants and natural conditions can help you work with nature rather than against it. You’ll come away with practical ideas for creating a healthy, resilient garden that supports wildlife and flourishes over time.
Wild About Plants: A Guided Nature Walk
Rosa Dam, Ecologist & Richard Sillence, Habitat Mapper | 11.15am | Approx. 1½ hrs
It’s surprising how much nature is growing right under our feet. Join us for a relaxed guided walk around St Paul’s to discover the wild plants, trees and habitats that make this neighbourhood such an important place for wildlife. Along the way you’ll learn how to identify common species and see the area with fresh eyes.
Meet at The Greenhouse at 11.15am.
Nature in St. Pauls: Tell us your Ideas
Drop-in session with St. Pauls Councillors Tabi Joy & Ashleigh Davies | 11.30am | 1 hr
What could make St Paul’s an even better place for nature? Join local ward councillor Tabi Joy & Ashleigh Davies together with Cheltenham Action for Nature, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and local volunteers, for an informal drop-in conversation about the future of nature in the neighbourhood.
Whether you’d love to see more street trees, greener public spaces, community growing projects, better habitats for wildlife or have ideas of your own, we’d love to hear them. There’ll be no presentations or speeches – just friendly conversation and a chance to explore what’s possible together.
Drop in at any time – no tickets required.
How to Garden for Wildlife in Outdoor Spaces Large and Small
Claire Piper | 1pm | 45 minutes + Q&A
Whether you have a large garden, a courtyard or just a few pots, creating a nature and wildlife-friendly space is easier than you might think. Claire will give us some easy tips for gardening for nature, from providing food, water and shelter to creating habitats that help birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife thrive.
Meet the Exhibitors In School House Cafe
Steve & Janine Watts will be sharing tips and advice based on their experience of growing and eating food from their garden.
Volunteers from the Community Rest Garden will be offering plants to swap and buy.
Butterfly Conservation Gloucestershire will be sharing information about local butterflies and moths, and giving practical advice on how we can support them in our gardens.
Mindy Pickering from Badger Wood Adventures will be with us to show how we can help children engage with nature.
Free Hands-On Activities at School House Cafe
Drop in between 10am and 3pm and have a go at making:
Lacewing houses
Earwig homes
Wooden bird boxes
Mini wildlife gardens
Seed bombs
Clay hedgehogs
Rainbow nature bookmarks
Painted pebble plant markers
and more…
Explore the Pop-Up Nature Garden outside School House Cafe
Looking for inspiration for your own outdoor space? Our Pop-up Nature Garden is a real-life wildlife-friendly garden, packed with ideas you can take home.
Discover how even the smallest spaces can support nature, from mini ponds and pollinator-friendly planting to composting, habitats for insects and simple ways to provide food, water and shelter for wildlife.
Throughout the day, local experts will be on hand for free drop-in advice sessions, sharing practical demonstrations and answering your questions.
Drop-in Sessions in the Pop-up Nature Garden
10.30 – 11am
Wildlife-friendly gardening, alternatives to pesticides, and an intro to slow worms, with Sarah Trimarco.
11 – 11.30am
Composting, healthy soil and no-dig growing with Steve Watts.
11.30am – 12noon
Mini ponds and plants for pollinators with Claire Piper and Sarah Payne, including how to create your own mini pond.
12 – 12.30pm
Helping butterflies and moths in your garden with Butterfly Conservation Gloucestershire
1 – 1.30pm
Gardening in a changing climate with Alison Samways
No booking is needed – simply drop by, explore the garden and join whichever sessions interests you.
Contributors
Claire Piper
Claire Piper has been fascinated by wildlife and gardening since childhood. After a career in music education, she completed degrees in Natural Sciences and Ecology and became a volunteer with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Claire will be sharing simple, practical ways to make your garden or outdoor space more welcoming for wildlife, with ideas that anyone can put into practice at home.
Charlotte O’Neill
Charlotte O’Neill is an ecologist and visual communicator whose work has taken her from tracking migrating ospreys between Scotland and West Africa to ecological surveys in Oman.
Charlotte is passionate about helping people better understand the wildlife around them. She will be exploring how we can work with the natural ecology of our gardens to create healthier spaces for wildlife.
Steve Watts
Master Composter and experienced no-dig grower, Steve works with nature in his productive garden, ensuring his soil and plants are healthy and resilient.
Steve will be joined by his wife Janine on a stall in School House Cafe, talking about how they grow fruit and veg in their suburban garden. Steve will also be available in a soil and compost drop-in session in the pop-up garden at 11am.
Rosa Dam
Rosa is studying Ecology and Environmental Science, and volunteers with the local wildlife trust and several community gardens. She loves plants and is interested in both their ecological and social value, as storytellers of thousands of years of human-plant interactions.
Rosa is leading the Wild about Plants Nature walk at 11.15am.
PLUS
Janine Watts – From garden to plate
Alison Samways – Gardening in a changing climate
Sarah Payne – Mini wildlife ponds
Ken Newcombe – Butterflies and moths
Mindy Pickering – Getting children into nature
Sarah Trimarco – Alternatives to pesticides
Dave Entwistle – Making bird boxes
‘One thing for nature’ exhibition
Could you inspire someone else by sharing one thing you’ve done for nature in your garden or outdoor space?
As part of Cheltenham Gardens for Nature, we’re creating a community photo exhibition showcasing the small actions helping nature thrive across Cheltenham.
It doesn’t have to be anything big. Whether you’ve planted flowers for pollinators, cut a hedgehog hole in your fence, put out water for wildlife or left a corner a little wilder, we’d love to celebrate it.
Simply upload one photo and tell us a little about it. We’ll display as many as we can at the event.
Thank you for your photo!
Plan your Visit
We’re excited to welcome you to Cheltenham Gardens for Nature. Whether you’re dropping in for a single talk, popping in for a chat about your garden, or spending the whole day (10am – 3pm) exploring, here’s everything you need to plan your visit.
Booking
Entry to Cheltenham Gardens for Nature is free. Most activities in the School House Hub and Pop-up Nature Garden are drop-in and don’t require booking. Places for the talks and guided walk at The Greenhouse are limited, so we recommend booking your free tickets in advance via Ticket Tailor.
We can’t wait to see you!
Finding Us
The Greenhouse
Malthouse Ln, Cheltenham GL50 4EY
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School House Café
St Paul’s Rd, Cheltenham GL50 4EZ
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The venues are just a minute’s walk from one another, making it easy to enjoy talks, activities and the Pop-up Nature Garden throughout the day.
Getting Here
Cheltenham Gardens for Nature is easy to reach on foot, by bike, public transport or car.
Walking
Both venues are 10 – 15 mins walk from Cheltenham town centre and are around 25 – 30 minutes on foot from Cheltenham Spa railway station, making them ideal if you’re travelling by train or already in town. They’re also close to Pittville Park if you’d like to combine your visit with a walk.
Cycling
Cycling is a great way to get to St. Pauls. Please note that the venues don’t have secure cycle racks available.
Bus
Stagecoach West runs regular bus services to St. Pauls. Visit their website for more info.
Train
Cheltenham Spa Station is approx. 25 – 30 mins away by foot.
Parking
There is limited on-street parking around St Paul’s, so we recommend walking, cycling or using public transport where possible.
If you’re travelling by car, the closest car park is the Brewery Quarter NCP (Monson Avenue, GL50 4EJ), which is around an 8 minute walk from the event venues and has plenty of spaces.
Accessibility
We want everyone to feel welcome at Cheltenham Gardens for Nature. Both The Greenhouse and School House Café have step-free access and accessible toilet facilities. Both venues welcome assistance dogs. If there’s anything we can do to help you plan your visit, please get in touch.
Food & Refreshments
The School House Café will be open throughout the day, serving drinks, cakes and light refreshments – the perfect place to take a break between talks and activities.
Questions?
If you’d like to know more, or you’re interested in getting involved, please contact us at hello@cheltenhamactionfornature.org.