Bored of Concrete? Love Wildlife?
Come Join Conservation and Wildlife Society Adventures!
We are here to help fellow students explore the Norfolk countryside and to become inspired. We host various events including informative walks, trips to Nature Reserves and Horsey Beach, conservation opportunities at and around UEA, documentary nights and expert talks.
We can also help with any queries you may have concerning wildlife and the environment, classes, conservation opportunities or anything else - just pop us a message - we are happy to help.
Most Importantly we want you to HAVE FUN!
Current Committee:
President: Dexter Jeal (D.Jeal@uea.ac.uk)
Secretary: Marco Fioratti (Marco.Fioratti@jic.ac.uk)
Treasurer: Phil Dowling (philip.dowling@uea.ac.uk)
Social Secretary and Health and Safety Officer: Josie Hewitt (josie.hewitt@uea.ac.uk)
Union Council rep and Equality and Diversity Champion: Ben Plummer (Ben.Plummer@uea.ac.uk)
First year representative: Alise Miluna
We will also be looking for a First Year Representative to be on the committee this year. So if you are interested in wildlife and conservation and would like to gain some valuable experience in organising events for other society members, just get into contact with us at one of our socials or via Facebook or email (ueacaws@gmail.com)
Events:
Upcoming events
6th February - 18:30 - 20:00 - Documentary Night
Join us next Wednesday, the 6th of February, at 6.30 PM in room 0.13 of Congregation Hall for our long-awaited documentary night! A small selection of wildlife/conservation themed documentaries will be available, and we can choose the most populat option for screening. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.
2nd February - 09:30 - 17:40 - Congregation Hall 0.13, North Norfolk Coast Path
Get ready for the first CAWS trip of the year. This time we are going to walk one of the most spectacular sections of the scenic North Norfolk Coast Path.
We will be getting the train to Cromer before heading off along the coast by bus to the small coastal village of Cley. Once here we will walk to the nearby beach, braving the cold winds for what are some amazing views. We will then walk along the North Norfolk Coast path to Blakeney and beyond (possibly, depending on time!), where there are great views out to sea and the saltmarsh. We will then circle back round before returning to Cromer and then Norwich.
The walk should not be too strenuous but we advise wearing walking boots as it can be muddy in places along the path. Bring a packed lunch along too, as we can’t guarantee that we’ll stop somewhere to buy lunch (although we’ll almost definitely stop at a café/pub at some point!).
We will meet at 9.30 AM on Saturday, the 2nd of February, in the main hall of Norwich train station: please don't delay, we will need time to buy the tickets for everyone. The best bit about it? The tickets will be on CAWS! Just make sure you have around £3.50-£4.00 to cover the bus fare to Cley and back (not covered by CAWS). We expect to be back in Norwich at 5.41 PM, with the scheduled train from Cromer.
If you have any questions, feel free to email ueacaws@gmail.com!
Past events
6th December - 18:30 - Bookable room 4, the Hive - CAWS Christmas Meal:
Get social with fellow CAWS members in a festive atmosphere by joining our upcoming CAWS Christmas Meal. The event is free, but you are encouraged to "buy" a free ticket (https://www.uea.su/events/6833/6127/) so that we have an idea of how many people will join. We will provide a selection of cooked foods, but you are welcome to bring snacks and soft drinks.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
25th November - 09:00 - Megabus stop, UEA campus - Seals trip: A brand new generation of fluffy Atlantic grey seal pups is about to be born on the East Norfolk coast. And with this event comes the most anticipated CAWS trip of the year. We will leave by bus on the 25th of November around 9 AM from the Megabus stop at UEA, and a coach will drive us to the seal colony at Horsey gap. There will be plenty of time to observe the seals from the top of the dunes before heading towards Hemsby to have a hearty lunch at the Lacon Arms (no need to pre-book, £10.95 for a two course carvery meal or light bites, vegetarian and vegan options available). Afterwards we will move to the beautiful nearby beach of Winterton for a relaxed walk and some more wildlife watching. We should be back on campus around 5 PM. Remember to dress warmly, late November is usually chilly and we are not as well insulated as the seals. Tickets are in a limited number, so secure your place as soon as possible by purchasing a ticket on the UEA Student Union website, www.uea.su/events/6833/5806/. CAWS members have priority access to tickets for the first two weeks, and they enjoy a special discounted price of £5. The purchase option will open to non-members after that date at a price of £8, provided there are still available places.
11th November - 11:00 - Debenhams bus stop, Red Lion Street, Norwich - Marriott's Way walk: The Marriott's Way is one of Norfolk's most renowned long-distance footpaths. Join us on an exciting walk on one of its most beautiful sections, from Norwich city centre to the village of Drayton. We will follow the course of the river Wensum along the tracks of a disused railway, looking for winter migrants and riverine wildlife. We will start from the bus stop at Debenhams, Red Lion Street, in the city centre at 11 AM (some of us will start at 10.30 from the bus stop on campus), and set off for a roughly 5 mile walk to Drayton, where we will stop at a cafe for lunch. Afterwards we will walk back to Norwich along the same route, but the bus will offer a lazy option for those who feel they've walked enough for the day.
The path is usually in good conditions, but it might be muddy in some sections, so bring suitable shoes and dress for the weather.
24th October - 18:00 - Walkway outside BIO - Bat walk: It’s leading up to Hallowe’en and to get in the spirit, CAWS will be hosting a guided Bat Walk around the UEA campus. The campus is home to 11 of the 18 bat species found in the U.K. Last year we counted 6 species.There will be a chance to use bat detectors, and learn a little bit about these awesome animals.
11th October - 6:30-20:00 - Congregation Hall 0.17 - Quiz night CAWS is pleased to announce the first Quiz Night of the academic year. Get ready for five rounds of wildlife- (and conservation-) themed questions, meet new people and have fun!Pizza and soft drinks will be provided, as well as a sweet surprise for the winning team. There will be vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, but please let us know of any other dietary requirement. Looking forward to seeing you all!
29th September - 9:20-16:30 - Buxton Heath Conservation trip - Buxton Heath is a local nature reserve just outside of Norwich. This will be the main place where we will carry out conservation activities this year. We have had made progress with the reserve in previous years, removing vast swathes of introduced birch/alder trees to return the heath back to its natural state. These trips will run roughly every two weeks. They are a great opportunity to make friends, get active and help this wonderful reserve. More details to follow about the specific activity soon - Watch this space - and our Facebook page - UEA CAWS
26th September - 17:30-20:00 - Welcome walk around UEA lake - We are holding a walk around the beautiful UEA lake to introduce you to the committee and the amazing area that is the UEA grounds. We will meet in the Square at 5:30pm before heading off on the walk around the lake. Along the way the walk will be filled with nature/wildlife facts about UEA lake/grounds and the wildlife that inhabits it including the famous rabbits! We will also let you know about some of the events we have planned this year. Afterwards the committee will be heading to the student bar and you are all welcome to come and join us whether you want to drink or not. This is a great opportunity to meet new people and socialise with the committee.
25th September - 12-18- Freshers Fayre - This is your chance to meet the committee and find out what the society is all about!
More events will be added as the year goes on!
Pictures from some of our previous events!
Buxton Heath!
Group picture from Buxton!
Conservation work at UEA!
Group photo at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen Nature Reserve
You can follow us on Twitter: @ueacaws
Add us on Facebook: UEA CAWS
Or email one of the committee or our page: UEA.caws@gmail.com