Millie Goes Wild

Join us for the “Millie Goes Wild” open day and learn all about the wildlife locally in Dorset and on site here at Holton Lee. With a beautiful 350 acre nature reserve as the backdrop, you can carry out your own wild walk and let us know what you spot from the boardwalk, viewpoints, bird hides and heathland.

We will also be joined by some of our external partners, who will be on hand with information stands and offering practical activities such as guided walks and reptile rambles. External partners include Dorset Wildlife Trust, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, Birds of Poole Harbour, Dorset Butterfly Trust and Planet Purbeck.

In addition to the various wildlife, Holton Lee is also home to Millie College, a special educational needs provision focusing on life skills and skills for employment through an Enterprise curriculum. Students have wonderful opportunities in Horticulture, Conservation, Animal Care, Creative Crafts, Catering and Retail on site and utilise what they have learnt to support public events and open days.
Faith’s Kitchen Café will be open, offering a selection of homemade light bites and treats to keep your energy up throughout the day. With a mixture of indoor and outdoor seating and takeaway options, you are sure to find a suitable spot with a lovely atmosphere and view.

When your feet need a rest and your stomach is full, try out some retail therapy at the craft and plant stall. There will be a selection of homegrown plants and produce for sale, as well as a variety of retail purchases and bespoke craft items created by our students and staff.

If by the end of the visit you are feeling inspired by what we do, then please take a look at the opportunities stand and learn more about volunteering or paid employment vacancies we have!

Now for the boring stuff!
The site will operate between 10am-4.30pm for this event.
Tickets must be purchased in advance as we manage numbers, therefore you will be turned away at the gate if you do not hold a valid ticket.
All tickets are non-refundable donations to Millie College, all funds go back into the work we do in supporting rescue animals and building the offer for our students.
Please arrive in your booked timeslot to ensure a more efficient visit.
Please ensure you are wearing suitable footwear for walking on the site, we have varied uneven terrain on the 350 acre site.
The College will be operating as usual during this event, therefore we respectfully ask that you do not enter any College buildings marked as staff only or learning zones.
For safety reasons, please do not feed animals or enter any animal enclosures.
Our Open Days and Events allow Millie College students to learn new skills and build towards social outcomes and the world of work. As this is a learning environment, we ask that you are considerate of the students and patient when visiting areas where the students are supporting/working.
We may need to cancel the event if extreme weather occurs, we will contact you to make you aware in advance of the day.
Parking may be on a field and uneven ground dependant on visitor numbers

Suitable for

• 0-5 Years
• 11-13 Years
• 14-18 Years
• 6-10 Years
• Adults

Event type

• Interactive stand
• Open day
• Talk
• Walk

Which insects?

• Ants, bees, wasps and sawflies
• Beetles
• Butterflies and moths
• Dragonflies and damselflies
• Grasshoppers, crickets and bush-crickets
• Mayflies or upwing flies

Organised by

External partners include Dorset Wildlife Trust, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, Birds of Poole Harbour, Dorset Butterfly Trust and Planet Purbeck.

Millie Goes Wild