I usually try and find an amusing title for our blog posts, but that would not be appropriate for today. NEWT's event today was clearing willow from the ponds at 'The Bunk' on Leverhulme park, but this was cut short when one of our members discovered the sad remains of a human. The police were called immediately and they arrived within minutes of the discovery. This occurrence shook all of us and our thoughts went straightaway to the friends and family of the deceased, wherever they may be.
In the afternoon NEWT were supporting Ray and the Big Bolton Butterfly release. We think around 1000 people turned up to the event and it was so lovely to see so many local families together, celebrating Ray's conservation work. The mayor pulled the raffle tickets out of a box and 6 children were selected to release the butterflies from the steps of the town hall.
The butterflies flying off into the afternoon sky seemed a poignant reminder for how fragile life is.