Shorelife Celebration at WWT Castle Espie

Saturday 5 October | 10am – 5pm
WWT Castle Espie, Comber

FREE admission for all

(Nature Reserve closes at 4.30pm, but centre remains open until 5pm)

Part of the Shorelife Celebration.

Join us at WWT Castle Espie on Saturday 5 October, for a vibrant celebration of all that is wonderful about our shore. This free-entry event promises a day filled with fun activities, engaging talks and tours, live music, and delicious local food and drink.

Admission is free for all, members and non-members. No booking necessary.

Explore the natural beauty of our shoreline while enjoying a variety of activities designed for all ages.

Event Highlights

•    Fun Activities: Enjoy sand art and outdoor games in the courtyard. Keep an eye out for themed characters who will be exploring Castle Espie, and listen to some storytelling - why not bring and old book and swap for another at the Book Nook? Author Phillip Johnston will also be there with his children's book on Daft Eddie. Daft Eddie an’ the Smuggler ‘O Strangford Lough, a Story spans the landscape of Ards and Strangford Lough.

•    Engaging Talks and Tours: Learn about the local wildlife, conservation efforts, and the history of WWT Castle Espie through guided tours and expert talks.

•    Live Music: Enjoy performances from local musicians throughout the day.

• Paul McMordie | 10:30 – 12:30 | A versatile guitarist and composer from Northern Ireland, known for exploring a wide range of musical styles, especially with acoustic, electric, and synthesized guitar. 
• Seefin | 1:00 – 3:00 | Seefin are a trio who compose and perform an unexpected blend of musical styles. Drawing on influences from classical, folk and traditional music, they create a sound all their own. 
• Lisa Dawson | 3:30 – 5:00 | Based in picturesque Islandmagee, singer and pianist Lisa Dawson draws inspiration from the beautiful rural landscapes that surround her, and by blending classical and traditional styles together, Lisa creates peaceful music in a style reminiscent of artists like Enya and Loreena McKennitt.

•    Food and Drink:Simply Irresistible - Burgers | The Wee Food Co - Crepes and churros.

Find the Brent Geese

Find the Brent Geese hidden around the venue and claim a small prize when you return it to the Ards and North Down Borough Council Visitor Information Centre caravan. (Prizes are subject to availability).

Get creative, and close to nature

•    Enjoy free entertainment and creative activities for all ages, live music and a few surprises as you explore the grounds. 

•    Kids can get creative at nature themed craft stations - make your very own Brent Goose and take it home with you as a memento of the day. 

•    Mini beasts backpacks - borrow a mini beast backpack, perfect for budding wildlife explorers. Kids can use their very own magnifying bug collector and binoculars to take a closer look at all kinds of wildlife and bugs. 

Special Guests

•    Hear from representatives from WWT Castle Espie and local environmental organisations, who you will find in the hides and lookout points, they will be sharing their insights and answering your questions. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about appreciating and protecting our beautiful shoreline.

Creative Peninsula Artists 

We welcome Creative Peninsula artists to the Shorelife Celebration. The Creative Peninsula is Northern Ireland's premier celebration of professional Art and Craft, find out more. These artists will showcase their works, and provide demonstrations and workshops for visitors to enjoy.

Tracey C A Johnston | A ceramic artist who seeks to make work that reflects the Ulster coastline and our emotional need to walk its shores and swim its waters.  You can find Tracey in a cottage by the sensory garden, where you can view her pieces and watch demos during the day.

Kate Caoimhe Arthur | Join Kate for a drop-in all-age workshop ‘SHOREWORDS' will offer young and old opportunities to use their senses to think about our unique coastline around Strangford, what it means to us and the wildlife that visits it.  

Marianne Kennerley | Marianne is a multi-disciplinary artist and designer, based in Bangor, inspired by landscapes and peoples interactions with coastal areas.  She documents these interactions, creating drawings, paintings, and developing textile pieces that capture local places.  Her work consists of translating image to textiles, documenting place and taking inspiration from immediate surroundings and experiences.

Adele Pound | Adele is a wildlife artist, her work is inspired by the natural world, especially the birds that winter on the shores of Ards and North down. Her core practice of drawing from life challenges her to produce works in the field. This time spent immersed in the local environment, studying wildlife also informs subsequent studio work, enabling her to create paper pieces that, while highly simplified, remain recognisable as native species.

Watch Adele as she demonstrates a paper sculpture of a brent goose, a new design developed on the run up to the festival, you will see examples of field studies and sketchbooks to see how this has developed to the end result.

Sarah Majury | Join artist and printmaker Sarah Majury who will be demonstrating the art of letterpress printmaking with a hand carved linocut plate and have a go at printing a Castle Espie postcard to take home.

Let’s celebrate the beauty and rich biodiversity of our stunning coastline. 

Make a break of it

Stay a while and take a break on our shores. Relax in the beauty of this place, offering everything from 5 star luxury to cosy guest houses or unique self-catering options, maybe camping and caravanning is more your thing, let us help you plan your perfect getaway. 

Find out more and Plan Your Trip to Ards and North Down.

Plan Your Trip to the Shorelife Celebration

The Shorelife Celebration takes place mainly outdoors and with Northern’s Ireland changeable weather please come prepared, raincoats and wellies advised. To make your day out as enjoyable as possible, please use this section to plan your trip.

Free Pre-bookable Event Shuttle Bus 

**Please note booking close at 3.30pm on Friday 4 October.**

Dundonald Park and Ride – Newtownards Bus Centre – Mount Stewart and Castle Espie. This service will run on a rotational service all day.

This is a hop on hop off bus for customers to enjoy both Mount Stewart and Castle Espie and the host of activities in both locations.

Parking 

Please note that parking at both sites is limited, and we strongly recommend using public transport to attend the event - public buses or via the free pre-bookable event buses.

For more information on bus routes and timetables please check the Translink website.

WWT Castle Espie Facilities and Accessibility Information

For information about the event site including accessibility and facilities click here.

Maps can be enlarged, please ask ahead of your visit.

Recycling 

When disposing of rubbish please use the recycling stations when on-site, located at the Cafe Courtyard. 

First Aid 

St John's Ambulance will be in attendance.

Trained assistance dogs 

Please note that only trained assistance dogs are welcome on site. 

Toilet Facilities 

2 additional accessible toilets, in addition to the 2 accessible toilets at Castle Espie.

Accessoloo will also be in attendance. Accessoloo is a toilet facility for disabled people that has the right equipment, including Adult Changing Table, Ceiling Hoist, Lavatory, Grab Rails, Hot and Cold Running Water and Heating and Lighting. Find out more about Accessoloo. 

If you have any specific questions about accessibility then please feel free to call WWT Castle Espie on 028 9187 4146 and staff can discuss it with you and help you plan your day.

Sustainability

We encourage visitors to travel via public transport and buses provided. Please bring reusable bags to pick up goodies at the event. Read more about Sustainability.

Shorelife Celebration is brought to you by Ards and North Down Borough Council in partnership with WWT Castle Espie and National Trust - Mount Stewart.

Please note:

• Shorelife Celebration at WWT Castle Espie is a free to attend event, however charges apply to some event activities and purchases at the event.
• Some activity will be ticketed and must be pre-booked in advance. Ts and Cs apply to ticketed activity.
• Online booking fees apply where relevant. None when booking in person or by phone via our Visitor Information Centres.

• Event details are subject to change.
• Further detail to follow - Keep checking the website, follow our facebook page or sign up to our ezine for updates.
• This event is being photographed/filmed. Images may be used in Ards and North Down Borough Council promotional material. If you do not want your image to be used, please inform our event staff.
• This event is a no drone zone. Only official event drones authorised by the event organisers are permitted.
• For more information on safe alcohol consumption, visit the Drink Aware website.