The Folly Farm Centre has teamed up with some of the UK's most acclaimed educators, naturalists and field experts to bring you exciting new opportunities.
Whether you want to learn more about wildlife or gain skills to promote and interpret the natural world, the Centre has created a wide range of adult courses to meet your needs. Try out a twilight badger watch or treat yourself to an all-inclusive residential wildlife film-making weekend.
Click on a category below…
The Folly Farm Centre course programme offers everyone the opportunity to get involved with their environment and enjoy the countryside . There's something for everyone - from professional development to those who already work within the environmental sector, to activities for those who have a passion for exploring their natural heritage through art, photography, hands-on craft, or just understanding what makes this a very special place.
One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man
Of moral evil and of good
Than all the sages can
5th – 7th May 2010
Visit: www.youtube.com/bristolwildlifefilm to see 2009 courses
Bluebells and Badgers:
Our May course celebrates the delights of Spring on our nature reserve, the perfect setting in which to film badgers about their foraging amongst flowering bluebells.
The course is residential and based at Avon Wildlife Trust’s Folly Farm Centre, set in a 250-acre nature reserve in the beautiful Chew Valley. Over the three days, students will find out about research, story telling, fieldcraft, camera techniques and picture editing from some of Bristol’s leading natural history filmmakers. Participants will take away a DVD of their completed film. The course is designed to be fun and informative – a chance to meet others enthused and inspired by the natural world, to socialise with industry professionals and to discover how to transfer your enthusiasm for nature to the screen.
The course will run from lunchtime on Wednesday 5th May until afternoon Friday 7th May. The course price of £510 +VAT (£599.25 total) includes full board single occupancy accommodation, all equipment and expert tutition.
Places are limited and we have had a number of people on our waiting list from 2009 courses bookings will be on a first come basis.
Please do get in touch if you would like to book a place or find out more information.
View the place, the people and the wildlife who came together for the last ‘Introduction to Wildlife Filmmaking’ course in 2009 by visiting youtube: www.youtube.com/bristolwildlifefilm
Badger photo – Darin Smith
With Lloyd & Rose Buck, bird specialists and expert wildlife photographer, Sunday 25th April – 1pm – 5pm A truly unique opportunity to photograph several beautiful birds up close, including a Tawny Owl and Kestrel. Learn from an inspiring cameraman who has been involved with high profile film and photography projects and pick up tips on how to maximise the potential of each shot with a stunning back drop of our 250 acre nature reserve. Hear the stories from the bird specialists on the filming work they have been involved with including using their peregrine falcons in sky diving and base jumping filming and training geese to follow a microlight for the BBC series, extreme animals. Cost: £45
Please note due to the nature of the work of the tutors we have a bank of carefully selected specialist wildlife photographers in case they are called away on filming and photography projects around the world.
23rd – 25th June 2010
Visit: www.youtube.com/bristolwildlifefilm to see 2009 courses
Summer Meadows:
Our early summer course celebrates the wildflower meadows flourishing in the nature reserve, filming includes the bees, butterflies and wildlife and flowers on the reserve.
The course is residential and based at Avon Wildlife Trust’s Folly Farm Centre, set in a 250-acre nature reserve in the beautiful Chew Valley. Over the three days, students will find out about research, story telling, fieldcraft, camera techniques and picture editing from some of Bristol’s leading natural history filmmakers. Participants will take away a DVD of their completed film. The course is designed to be fun and informative – a chance to meet others enthused and inspired by the natural world, to socialise with industry professionals and to discover how to transfer your enthusiasm for nature to the screen.
The course will run from lunchtime on Wednesday 23rd June until afternoon Friday 25th June. The course price of £510 +VAT (£599.25 total) includes full board single occupancy accommodation, all equipment and expert tutition.
Places are limited and we have had a number of people on our waiting list from 2009 courses bookings will be on a first come basis.
Please do get in touch if you would like to book a place or find out more information.
View the place, the people and the wildlife who came together for the last ‘Introduction to Wildlife Filmmaking’ course in 2009 by visiting youtube: www.youtube.com/bristolwildlifefilm
Orchid photo – Dave Kilby
1st – 3rd September 2010
Visit: www.youtube.com/bristolwildlifefilm to see 2009 courses
Woodlands and Wildfowl:
Our September course celebrates the woodlands and wildlife in the reserve in early autumn. This course will also include filming the visiting wildfowl on Chew Valley Lake.
The course is residential and based at Avon Wildlife Trust’s Folly Farm Centre, set in a 250-acre nature reserve in the beautiful Chew Valley. Over the three days, students will find out about research, story telling, fieldcraft, camera techniques and picture editing from some of Bristol’s leading natural history filmmakers. Participants will take away a DVD of their completed film. The course is designed to be fun and informative – a chance to meet others enthused and inspired by the natural world, to socialise with industry professionals and to discover how to transfer your enthusiasm for nature to the screen.
The course will run from lunchtime on Wednesday 21st September until afternoon Friday 3rd September. The course price of £510 +VAT (£599.25 total) includes full board single occupancy accommodation, all equipment and expert tutition.
Places are limited and we have had a number of people on our waiting list from 2009 courses bookings will be on a first come basis.
Please do get in touch if you would like to book a place or find out more information.
View the place, the people and the wildlife who came together for the last ‘Introduction to Wildlife Filmmaking’ course in 2009 by visiting youtube: www.youtube.com/bristolwildlifefilm