Three days of nature themed activities and events will be held from Friday 8^th May – Sunday 10^th May - including the reserve’s first ever Otter Walks, plus a Bat Walk, Stay & Play, Pond Dipping, Optics Demonstrations, Moth Trapping, and talks on Orchids and Clearwings. On Saturday the 9^th May - the reserve will also host ‘Skydancer Day’ – an annual event organised by Hen Harrier Action – the group having chosen Attenborough Nature Reserve as this year’s venue to mark Sir David’s birthday.  

Yesterday (Thursday April 30^th) representatives of organisations that have played a key role in the work of the Trust over the past sixty years gathered, along with the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, Prof. Veronica Pickering - at the reserve - 60 years to the day since Sir David opened it.  The event marked the landmark anniversary, celebrated decades of collaboration and the contribution of volunteers and served to launch a year of celebrations of this nationally important and much-loved site.  

Speaking at the 60^th Anniversary event, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Chief Executive Paul Wilkinson said: “To have the reserve’s 60^th anniversary so close to Sir David’s 100^th Birthday is really special – especially given the long connection he has with the reserve. We therefore thought it fitting to mark the two occasions together with a celebration of the reserve and its wildlife.” 

Yesterday’s birthday celebration gave the Trust a chance to thank the many groups that were involved in the early days of the reserve, to pay tribute to the countless volunteers that have helped shape the reserve down the decades and to retell the story of how the reserve came to be. 

Paul added: “Sir David has described Attenborough Nature Reserve as ‘a lifeline to the natural world’ and ‘a symbol of hope in a challenging world”. Generations have had their first connection with nature here or made cherished memories with family and friends. Whilst many know that that the reserve was once a sand a gravel quarry, has some connection with Sir David Attenborough and is central to the Trust’s success - few know quite why. The reserve exists because people recognised that nature isn’t a nice to have, it is necessary for our wellbeing. As well as valuing the site and its wildlife, the community stood up for what it believed in – helping to save and ultimately shape the unique nature reserve that so many value and benefit from today.”  

 In the 1960s, a plan was put forward to fill the flooded gravel pits (known locally as ‘The Gravs’), created through sand and gravel extraction - with ash from a new power station to be built at Ratcliffe-on-Soar.  This plan landed at a time when communities across the UK we’re waking up to the scale of habitat loss, and many fledgling Wildlife Trusts were emerging.  As a result, the community rose up to fight & defeat the plans. This battle sparked the formation of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust in 1963​. Far from resting on their laurels, campaigners kept pushing and the former pits were declared a nature reserve. It was opened by David Attenborough (not yet Sir David) during ‘National Nature Week’ on April 30th, 1966.  

 This event marked the start of a long and fruitful relationship between the reserve and its namesake - an Hon. life Member of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust) WT – whose father & grandfather lived nearby. His family and the reserve both taking their name from Attenborough village. Sir David returned in 1988 to launch plans for a centre and again 17 years later in 2005 to open it! In 2020 he launched the charity’s ‘Lifeline Appeal’ to purchase the reserve.  

 This much-loved reserve is nationally important for nature and best known for its birds – with over 250 species recorded – but a staggering 2500 species of bird, mammals, insect, plants and other wildlife have been recorded so far.  Its location close to both Nottingham and Derby making it a hugely popular site for people to see, hear and connect with nature.