Global environmental charity, WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) are challenging people of all ages to step out into Kent’s great outdoors this winter season and take part in the 2025 Big Winter Wander Walking Challenge!

Offering the perfect opportunity to witness how our local wildlife adapts to the colder temperatures, families can opt to stroll either 5 or 10 kilometres between 10 – 23 of February to help raise vital funds to protect and restore nature in the UK and around the world.

With nature calling out for our help and the climate crisis and decline of biodiversity threatening the places we cherish most, doing all we can to help is more important than ever. Additionally, with the country seeing a rise in the negative effects to our mental health, research shows that reconnecting with nature this winter can offer a salve for the seasonal blues, and spending time in green spaces is proven to reduce feelings of depression, stress and anxiety, whilst promoting calm, clarity and joy.

Whether it’s leisurely laps around your local park or a mosey in the woods, participants can choose their own paths to make a difference this winter. Some might prefer a solitary stroll, or to invite friends and family to create a fundraising super-team.

WWF will supply wanderers with all the resources needed to plan the event, and wildlife spotter sheets to help spot the winter nature on their doorstep, which might include starlings, robins, blue tits, red foxes, snowdrops, hawthorn or ash trees. A WWF t-shirt will also be given to anyone who raises £30, and an exclusive Big Winter Wander eco-medal is awarded to fundraisers who hit the £100 target.

Set to take part in The Big Winter Wander? Here is the nature you may spot along the way…

In the raw quiet of winter months, our local landscape might feel bare, but life still stirs below and above sparkling blankets of frost. Look closely and you’ll be amazed by what you can spot in even the most built-up urban environments – greenery poking through the pavement, critters crawling between concrete, or a red fox sneaking through the street? Keep your eyes and ears open for winter wildlife as they step out during the frost-kissed season.

Snowdrops: Considered the messengers of spring, snowdrops provide a welcome burst of brightness during the dark winter months. These white blooms are a sign that warmer weather is on the way however, seen to flower across the UK from January to March.

What to look for: Tear-shaped bright, white blooms.

The Waxwing: Waxwings are winter-only visitors, often migrating from areas of Scandinavia and Russia to northern and coastal areas across the UK where food is more plentiful. They begin their journey back north around March, after they’ve filled up on berry-rich bushes.

What to look for: Often found in gardens or orchards, look out for a black bib under its beak, a black eye mask, grey-pink plumage and a voluminous crest.

What to listen for: Thin, high-pitched trilling notes.

The Grey Seal: The grey seal, larger than the common seal with a much bigger head and pronounced sloping nose, can be spotted as they move from their feeding to breeding grounds around the UK coast.

What to look for: Grey fur with darker spots, often seen basking on rocks.

What to listen for: Grunts, growls, and sometimes a bark!

Goldcrest: The UK’s smallest species of bird, weighing around 5 grams, can be seen across the UK in mixed and coniferous woodlands, parks and gardens. Though some live in the UK year-round, the population is boosted in winter by birds migrating from Scandinavia for food.

What to look for: A distinctive orange / yellow stripe on its head, and a pale underbelly.

What to listen for: A high-pitched and squeaky song.

Barn Owl: Winter is a prime time to spot barn owls, as they become more active during the colder months in search of food to sustain them through the season. Though typically nocturnal hunters, don’t discount daytime spotting as the scarcity of prey can prompt them to venture out in the light too.

What to look for: Heart-shaped, pale face and white/light brown feathers

What to listen for: Though silent in flight, barn owls produce a haunting, eerie screeching

Jack and Toby Foster’s Father, Matthew commented on the great initiative after taking part in the 2024 Big Winter Wander:

“We took part primarily because it’s such a good cause. Jack, my eldest, often feels very concerned about climate change and human impact on the natural world and I really wanted to show him that when we are worried about things the best thing we can do is take action. I wanted to show him that he can make an impact. I have a strong belief that we can either get sad or do something.”

Kent-based Jack and Toby Foster taking part in the 2024 Big Winter Wander

Sign-up to the 2025 Big Winter Wander (10 – 23 of February) today at: www.wwf.org.uk/events/winter-wander