Steve Backshall and Maddie Moate to bring their wild lives to Heligan this summer holiday

Wildlife legend Steve Backshall will be taking up residence at The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall this summer for Wild Heligan, a celebration of the incredible wildlife and plants that surround us.

Steve Backshall’s Wild Heligan will see Steve take to the Heligan Play Meadow stage on selected days during the event (which takes place from July 18 to September 2) alongside an incredible selection of other celebrity nature experts. Steve will use on-stage wildlife habitats to bring the incredible abundance of nature at Heligan to life.

From August 24, Steve will hand the reins to TV presenter and explainer extraordinaire Maddie Moate who will share her passion for pollinators as she brings a fun and engaging live show about her beekeeping adventures to the Heligan audience.

During the Wild Heligan season, visitors will be able to submit video and images of the wildlife they’ve spotted during their visit. Steve will show the best on stage alongside footage from his extensive adventure archive, illustrating that domestic wildlife is just as exciting as its more exotic equivalent.

Away from the main stage, there will be a whole raft of activities, including the opportunity to take part in wildlife-themed workshops and a wild lab space where visitors can examine specimens under a microscope.

Further down the Play Meadow – the south west’s biggest outdoor play area – will be Heligan den building activities, giving visitors the chance to create outlandish shelters from a variety of provided materials.

Every Sunday during the Wild Heligan season, the gardens will host an eclectic selection of live bands and artists on the Play Meadow stage, with chilled pints available from the Verdant Brewing Co. bar and delicious food from Meadow Kitchen.

Steve, Maddie and other celebrity wildlife experts to be confirmed will be appearing on selected dates throughout the Wild Heligan season. Heligan Locals’ Pass holders and members will be given exclusive early access to the schedule, giving them a priority window until Sunday (June 21) to secure their slots.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan will be taking part in the Great British Summer Savings Scheme, which reduces VAT on all daily admission tickets, Direct Debit Locals’ Passes and children’s meals for the summer.

All admissions tickets and children’s meals during the Great British Summer Savings window of June 25 to September 1 will be subject to the lower price, while Heligan’s Locals’ Pass reductions have begun this week to allow people to take advantage of the priority booking window and make savings for 12 months of unlimited visits to Heligan.

David Harland, chief executive of The Lost Gardens of Heligan, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Steve and friends to Heligan for our biggest, most exciting summer yet! 

“This will be a unique opportunity to have Steve and a whole host of other experts guide you through the wonder of our incredible natural landscape. We want to instil a lifelong love of nature and inspire people to go home from Heligan and immerse themselves in the nature that surrounds them, wherever they live. 

“We are also very excited to be offering Great British Summer Savings throughout the summer, including for our Locals’ Passes, which not only gives you savings on a year of Heligan visits, but also grants priority access to summer booking slots.”

All Steve Backshall’s Wild Heligan activities are included in the standard Heligan admission price and are therefore free to Locals’ Pass holders and Heligan members. To book tickets, secure timeslots or buy Locals’ Passes or memberships, see www.heligan.com.

As part of the Great British Summer Savings scheme, local bus travel is free for under-15s during August. Heligan is served by a number of bus services, including direct from St Austell station. There are also safe, dedicated cycle and walking trails to Heligan all the way from St Austell.