Wildlife Walks

In collaboration with The Wildlife Trust, Wildlife Walks comprises a series of seasonal, educational and creative guided walks, to introduce our local community to the wildlife growing and living on the pavements, hedges and verges through surveying and mapping activities. Via a circular walk from West Bromwich to Dartmouth Park and Sandwell Valley, the groups are invited to draw, observe, record, talk about, or simply enjoy what’s around them, and reflect on how people navigate the high street in West Brom, with or without the wildlife in mind.

Throughout Spring 2023, The Wildlife Trust and artist & poet Lee Mackenzie led circular walks from West Bromwich High Street to Dartmouth Park. Working with the public and various community groups including Sandwell Visually Impaired and Sandwell College, the walks aimed to introduce local community groups and individuals to the wildlife on their doorstep. From wildflowers growing on verges, to the luscious landscape of the park, the walks encouraged participants to respond to their local environment in both a pragmatic and creative way, and explore wider narratives around the history of the area as well as current uses of the space.

Using art and creativity as a tool, people are invited to respond to and record their observations which has culminated as poetry, flower pressing, illustrations and photographs.

Inspired by conversations and findings from Wildlife Walks, Lee Mackenzie is working on a long-term mapping project which will culminate in a physical and digital map that brings together illustration, poetry, sound. This project is part of a wider initiative around rethinking the route from West Bromwich High Street to Dartmouth Park; reconnecting the two places which are a short walk away from each other. You can read more about this project here.

Led by Jacob Williams from The Wildlife Trust and artist & poet Lee Mackenzie, this event invited members of the public to walk from West Bromwich High Street to Dartmouth Park. Exploring the nature that could be found along the way, Jake highlighted the flowers, trees and biodiversity in the town. This culminated in a poetry mapping exercise by Lee, where participants expressed their experience through writing and spoken word, which went on to inform Lee’s work towards a digital and physical map connecting West Bromwich high street and green spaces, which you can read more about here.

Photographer Kelly Hadley documented the walk, capturing the wonderful nature that can be found in a highly urban area.