British Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
July 22nd – September 7th
Kingdom of the Hare by Drew Buckley / BWPA
This prestigious competition has toured the UK since 2009, celebrating the talent of wildlife photographers in the UK whilst highlighting the beauty of British landscape and wildlife, as well as contemporary issues in conservation, biodiversity and climate change. This is an exhibition suitable for all ages, ready to inspire young minds and challenge some of us older ones.
See more of the winning entries HERE
The winning photograph, “Urban Explorer” by Simon Withyman, was taken in Bristol in 2023, capturing a fox’s ‘beauty in [the] everyday urban scene’. A wedding photographer by profession, he has spent three years trailing this particular vixen across the city. It is a striking look at city wildlife, the vixen looking down the camera in the midst of Bristol’s tower blocks. It also speaks to the dedication of wildlife photographers, Withyman having lost track of the fox for a period and rediscovering it across the city, driven by a love of the species.
This award explores not just urban wildlife but a whole host of categories, from ‘Botanical Britain’ and ‘Animal Portraits’ to ‘Coast & Marine’ and ‘Wild Woods’, promising a rich view of British photography talents. As visitors walk through the exhibition, they can embark on a visual journey across the UK, discovering hidden gems and moments of wonder in the most unexpected places. For young photographers, it is a chance to see where their passion could lead, while for seasoned enthusiasts, it offers fresh inspiration and a renewed appreciation for their craft.
As always, entry to this exhibition is included in admission fee.
Art & sculpture inspired by British big cat encounters
With evidence from DNA and tooth marks on bones, Britain’s big cats are emerging from myth to reality. These reported pumas, black leopards & lynx are now represented in art, as people have been moved to illustrate them.
The artwork includes witnesses who did their own visual impressions, food and drink companies branding their product with the local beast, artists illustrating books, poetry & posters, and sculptors bringing these secret predators to life.
A range of these works will be displayed in the Wallsworth Centre, 12th-22nd August
The event is stewarded by witnesses of big cats in Britain.
See the art, meet the witnesses, hear about evidence!
Felt kingfisher with Agnese Davies
Course Suitability: Absolute beginners
Maximum Participants: 12
Course Description:
Participants will be needle felting a semi 3D version of Kingfisher in a hoop. I will teach you how to use felting needles, mix wool colours with some silk and create a beautiful and colourful bird that you can hang on your wall. All materials will be provided but if you have done needle felting and you have your own favourite tools, please bring them along.
Materials Required:
Materials will be provided within the session for a charge of £10 to be paid on the day.
About the artist:
Agnese Davies is an award-winning artist who has gained international recognition for her lifelike creations. She is passionate about the natural world and loves all animals. Her sculptures are delicately created, crafting wool over carefully proportioned armatures. Great care is taken to capture the detail and personality of the individual subjects.
In 2023, amongst other highly commended awards, Agnese was the winner of the Ross-on-Wye Arts Competition and a finalist in the Broadway Arts Festival. She was recently invited to be Artist in Residence at Nature in Art.
Places are on a first come first basis.
To secure your place on this course a £25 non-refundable deposit is required.
All courses are £59 per day for members, and £75 per day for non-members
Illustrated talk by Rick Minter
Doors open 7pm to view galleries. Finger buffet at 7.30pm followed by talk.
Big cats author and podcaster Rick Minter will review the evidence supporting people’s ongoing descriptions of pumas, black leopards and lynx in Britain.
The illustrated talk will discuss how people respond to sightings, including with artistic impressions. It will consider how these predators may be adapting to Britain’s landscape as stealthy deer cullers, and explain how evidence is being sought by DNA and by tooth pits in bones of prey, with support from two universities.
Rick will also look at some snippets of footage, and witnesses present will explain their own encounters.
2D and 3D works by artists from Gloucestershire Society of Artists. This is their 101st Annual Exhibition. Most exhibits are for sale.
In the Education Centre, free to visit
Come and ex
plore a special display in our Education Centre, created to coincide with Heritage Open Days (12th–14th). This engaging exhibition offers a rare opportunity to jump into the rich and varied social history of Wallsworth Hall. Through photographs, historic documents and more, you’ll discover stories from its past, from its earliest days and original purpose, to the many ways it has evolved over time.
Perfect for history enthusiasts, families, and anyone curious about local heritage, this exhibition invites you to pause, look closer, and connect with the past.
Free to enter, in the Education Centre.
Please note this talk will no longer take place.
Doors open 7pm to view galleries. Finger buffet at 7.30pm followed by talk.
This illustrated talk will explore th
e history of gardens in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, covering various types such as medicinal, culinary, therapeutic, educational, and those created for enjoyment, starting from the earliest recorded mention of gardens.
In partnership with The Green Pledge Project @ The Hub, supported by the Heritage Fund
Tiger with Karen Coulson
Course Suitability: Suitable for all
Maximum Participants: 12
Course Description:
Explore the techniques to draw soft fur required to create this tiger portrait using a variety of Colour Pencils on Pastelmat.
A line drawing is supplied
Materials Required:
Materials will be provided within the session.
Places are on a first come first basis.
To secure your place on this course a £25 non-refundable deposit is required.
All courses are £59 per day for members, £75 per day for non-members
Hedgehog portrait with Karen Coulson
Course Suitability: Suitable for all
Maximum Participants: 12
Course Description:
Assorted Colour Pencils on Mount Board
Explore the techniques required to complete this Hedgehog in the Grass using assorted colour pencils.
A watercolour pencil is used for the first layer of the background.
A line drawing is supplied.
Materials Required:
Materials will be provided within the session.
All courses are £59 per day for members, £75 per day for non-members
Totally Tactile is a fully tactile exhibition where visitors will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with all the exhibits. From wood to metal, from realistic animals to abstract interpretations, this is a fantastic opportunity to engage with art in a way you might not usually get to! We will ask visitors to pop on blindfolds if they are sighted and invite everyone to take their time touching and thinking about the artwork in front of them. There will be a mix of artworks from the main collection, our reference library and other items kindly lent to us for this special occasion. This exhibition will also mark the introduction of audio guides across galleries for those who need it – we are aiming for the majority of our objects on display to have accompanying audio description by September. We will also have a small number of tablets available to borrow, with high contrast images of our artwork on for visually impaired visitors to take in at their own pace.
This exhibition recently featured on ITV.
