WHAT DO salmon poke bowls (Asian dishes), football clubs, and community gardens have in common?
They all featured in Saturday’s Nature Game session at Wokingham Library, part of the Reading Climate Festival.
The session, organised by Wokingham Borough Council and facilitated by local resident Elizabeth Corse alongside fellow facilitator Rosie Deane, proved that learning about biodiversity doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
The event received great feedback, with participants describing it as ‘very enjoyable’ and ‘enlightening’, praising the facilitators.
Elizabeth, who runs stakeholder engagement consultancy DisCom said: “I never know what to expect, as each group brings different dynamics, but people arrived as strangers and left making plans to collaborate.
“A lovely connection was made between someone from the town’s football club and local community garden volunteers, who are now exploring how to use unused areas around the football ground to create wildlife habitats.
“Given the club’s reach across the community, this initiative could inspire and involve more than 700 young people and their families.”
The Nature Game uses giant cards to explore biodiversity in an accessible way.
Rather than overwhelming statistics, participants discover meaningful connections: that a single salmon poke bowl requires at least five different ecosystems to exist, or that 70% of cancer medicines come from nature.
Elizabeth reflects on the game’s power to make abstract concepts concrete, admitting she can name more brands than living species – something many participants recognised in themselves.
During the session, participants learned about pollinators, invasive species, and what nature does for us for free.
Plans are underway for another session in autumn.
