Cheshire Wildlife Trust is encouraging people to get out, enjoy and support wildlife this Christmas period with its top things to try this holiday.

The Trust, which is based near Malpas, is offering residents around the village and towards Whitchurch ways of getting out to burn off those Christmas calories.

Charlotte Harris, chief executive officer at Cheshire Wildlife Trust, says they’re trying to change a misconception that winter is a time to stay indoors.

She said: “Winter is always a time when people think that there is nothing to see or do in the great outdoors – with hedgehogs hibernating and some of our summer birds flying off to warmer climes.

“The naturally cold weather can make us what to retreat inside – but actually our wild places and creatures can be just as inspiring at this time of year as any other so I’d encourage everyone to get outdoors, explore and have fun.”

You can enjoy the outdoors through the following:

Wildlife gardening

A bit of gardening or making your space animal friendly is one way to enjoy the outdoors, or even use the time to chop up what;'s lefty of your Christmas tree.

Wildlife walks

The Christmas holiday is a great time for getting out for a walk. Things to look out for at this time of year include large flocks of geese, woodpigeons and starlings.

If you’re walking at dusk you may even be lucky enough to see a starling mumuration, where large numbers of them swoop through the sky together in mesmerising patterns before settling down to roost for the night.

Look after wildlife

If you support wildlife this winter through providing some extra food, they’ll reward you with frequent visits – giving you something to view even on the coldest of days. Like us, birds have varied tastes, so if you put up a mix of foodstuffs, you’re sure to attract the largest variety.

Make a wildlife New Year resolution

Perhaps you have been inspired by BBC’s Blue Planet and you’re going to reduce the amount of plastic you use? Maybe you’re going to make more effort to walk regularly, improving your fitness and your interaction with wildlife? Or perhaps you’d like to learn more about wildlife or volunteer to support it?

If Cheshire Wildlife Trust have inspired you – why not visit their website at www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org to explore places to walk, ways to support wildlife and how to volunteer.