Wales National Young Ranger Meet 2025

This July, Young Rangers from the Clwydian Range & Dee Valley braved the heatwave for the opportunity to connect with other Youth Wardens from all over Wales.

Organised in partnership with the Clwydian Range Dee Valley, Bannau Brycheiniog, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and Curlew Connections Wales, this very special event brought together youngsters from each protected area to meet each other, exchange ideas and discuss the plight of a bird that links us all: the Curlew.

The CRDV Young Rangers started the day early, boarding the minibus for the 2 hour drive down to Montgomeryshire. Katie Appleby from Curlew Connections Wales organised a fantastic location, a village hall near to where she had located several Curlew nests. We all got together and introduced each other with some icebreakers. Then Katie took us on a guided walk to see a hay meadow where a Curlew pair had previously nested.

Curlew officers Jonathon Lee and Roisin Normanly joined Katie in leading discussions with the group about the threats facing the Curlew, as well as the efforts made by Curlew Connections to conserve them.

Katie needed help taking in the fencing, and the kids made short work of it!

In the afternoon everyone cooled off and shared a campfire-cooked lunch, courtesy of the Pembrokeshire Coast group. As it was the hottest day of the year, the more energetic plans had to be adapted, so in the afternoon we put our brains to work instead! We gathered in the shade and discussed issues facing each ranger group, and talked about what the kids would like to achieve with the Young Rangers programmes in Wales.

This is the first time all the Welsh Young Rangers groups have got together, so we also discussed plans for next year. Several of the kids themselves were keen to get involved to help plan a National overnight camp!

All in all, it was a fantastic day and was brilliant to meet so many keen young people from across Wales.