On Saturday the 19th of November, I visited the Youth Action Now event at the Arts Centre in Norwich.

As I arrived at the Arts Centre, the city was draped in a wistful carpet of thin clouds. The sun was a mere ghost of light from behind, but it gave the streets a frosty, obscure look as though viewed through tinted glass. I was hit by a wave of subtle warmth as I entered the halls and left behind the frost of morning. I was impressed by the inviting layout of the main hall: tables were strewn with fun arts and crafts materials, stalls were scattered with animal memorabilia (everyone loves a good deer skull!), and posters about the new reserve at Sweet Briar encircled the room.

I mingled among the crowd and learned a bit about nature from the Wilder Wardens! They'd compiled a quiz about British wildlife in which we were to match an artefact or bone from a species to its photo. I was genuinely shocked by the questions I got wrong, and this has spurred an interest in me to explore this topic further.

I began to browse the information boards about the development of NWT’s newest urban

nature reserve, Sweet Briar Marshes. I read about intriguing new plans for hides, boardwalks and even a raised, ‘Go Ape’-style treetop walkway connecting Sweet Briar to an outdoor classroom! This was a prospect with huge potential to integrate young people into nature; imagine the ability to walk straight from your home into the vast wilderness that is the Wensum SSSI (Site of Scientific Special Interest)! The sense of connection with wildlife that could be created here is invaluable.

It was here that I met Sarah, who is going the extra mile to promote the role of young people in nature by developing an almost ‘storybook’ headset guide to be worn when wandering around the reserve. It adds a touch of connection between humans and the marsh, stimulating young minds and igniting a passion for nature.

I then decided to join one of Nick Acheson’s nature walks, as I was having a botanist day and knew he would be buzzing with enthusiasm in this field. He found a surprising amount of fascinating plants just outside the Arts Centre and showed us the verdant lobed leaves and bright yellow residue of greater celandine, which I only ever think of as being a beautiful buttery flower. He showed great gusto in teaching our group about the makeup of lichens - that they are formed mainly of two organisms, a fungus and an autotroph. Autotrophs have the ability to synthesise sunlight into usable energy for the body, and they partner up with fungi in a state of symbiosis.

We soon stopped again to observe a very severe and harsh habitat that few plants can withstand - a flint wall. Due to an almost total lack of nutrients, only a select few organisms live there, but those that do have the advantage of little competition. The species we found were ivy-leaved toadflax and polypody. Both are absolute beauties in their own right, but I absolutely adore the toadflax. A member of the snapdragon family it sports delightful lilac flowers in May, but in its current winter torpor, we were left to admire its endearing red-veined, lobed leaves and crimson creeping stems. It's certainly one of my favourite flowers, and even in its hibernatory state it's a true wonder. This species was introduced to Britain like many other members of the family, but it has swiftly expanded across the south, spreading its wings (or creepers if you'd prefer) hundreds of miles. Walk down nearly any Norwich street in spring and you’ll likely see its purple heads nodding from cracks in the brickwork.

Sadly, it was soon time to head back. I would've loved to have stayed to roam around in the leaf-litter for plants for hours more, but my grumbling stomach had other thoughts.

Everything in this wonderful gathering really displayed how much NWT cares about connecting young people with nature. I loved how much of the event was designed to spark a love of wildlife. I feel proud to be part of an organisation that is so vigilant about promoting opportunities for young people in conservation, and I can't rate it highly enough.