NATURE lovers in Oxfordshire are being encouraged to camp outside and get closer to nature with an event organised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

The RSPB’s Big Wild Sleepout, which is on Saturday, June 21, will give the public the chance to pitch a tent at Wytham Woods, Oxford University’s famous research woodland.

Wilderness Pioneers, a group that provides outdoor living skills, will be giving lessons on how to survive in the forest.

Co-founder Manse Ahmed, 46, from Oxford, said: “Families aren’t getting out as much anymore and the sleepout will be a great way to learn skills that are slowly being forgotten.”

There will be also be an evening badger watch, a night time walk with a bat detector, and a barbecue and campfire.

Tents can be set up from 3pm and the event will finish at 9.30am the next day. It costs £40 for adults (RSPB members £32) and children for £22 (RSPB members £18).

See rspb.org.uk for details.

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