THE group is a practical and educational one for those interested in supporting nature and restoring biodiversity in the local area.

The name East Grinstead derives from the Old English words grene (green) and stede (place) meaning a green place or clearing: the 'East' was added later to distinguish the town from West Grinstead so it is particularly appropriate that we try to keep our town "green".

If you would like to take part in Greening East Grinstead's group activities in the coming months please sign up to be a member of the group, either directly on Beacon, or by emailing Sue Bolton at greening@eastgrinsteadu3a.co.uk.

Upcoming events:

1. The Mindfulness Walk is now full.

2. On 15 July, there will be a free screening at 10.30am at Chequer Mead of a film explaining how climate change will affect wildlife - and us.

The People's Emergency Briefing features a panel of nine experts updating on the latest in the climate crisis debate and will be followed by a short open discussion about what it means locally - and what we can do about it.

It features Chris Packham., Jennifer Saunders and Deborah Meaden.

3. There will be a Bat Walk and Talk in August - date to be arranged.

4. And on Thursday 10th September at 10am there will be a Mushroom Walk with ecologist Ross Symonds - cost £10.

Join Ross at the beautiful Yoghurt Rooms to explore the fascinating world of fungi and learn to identify some of the medicinal and useful varieties found in Sussex woodlands and grassland.

The walk will be suitable for beginners and anyone with an interest in nature, ecology - or fungi! - and will look at classification features, ecology, folklore and the important role fungi play in the landscape....

And with luck there'll be some to take home and try.

5. Starting on Wednesday 30 September, and continuing on the last Wednesday of the succeeding five months, there will be sessions on how to make our gardens havens for wildlife - £3 per session.

Collectively English gardens cover an area bigger than that of all the national parks put together and play a vital role in nurturing wildlife. England is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, so every little step we can take to reverse that loss helps.

So every month we will feature a topic to discover more about nature and discover simple, practical ways we can help it thrive - with tea and cake...